


Chlorokinesis

by Midnight Moon (NervousAliceCurious)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Kidnapping, Magic On Earth, superhumans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28121658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/Midnight%20Moon
Summary: After unintentionally gifting five strangers with plant powers, Envy Flora, an agrokinetic from another dimension, must find out exactly what their fates are now that their world is changed forever.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Innocents

**Author's Note:**

> Cw: Brief mentions of food, drugging, authorities. Body horror.

Dec. 2nd, 2020, Weds. 

  
  


I’ll be the first to admit what a terrible idea this is.

But the chance of anyone noticing that something looks a bit familiar is pretty unlikely.

I hope.

I walk down the street-

“Sorry-”

“Excuse me”.

“Excuse us-”

At least I fit in.

There’s barely any color here.

The crowd passes by-

Cars pass awfully close.

Well…

If anyone almost runs me over by accident, I’m not completely defenseless.

I have a vague idea of where I’m going-

The energy will be running rampant.

-Here, it will look like a supernova.

I wouldn’t be surprised if most people couldn’t see it.

I think you’d need a Sixth Sense-

Or be from the Dream World.

I might be missed there-

_ They can take care of themselves. _

  
  


It looks like it’s going to snow.

Gray clouds, and whatnot-

Doesn’t help that it’s so  _ cold. _

That reminds me-

Christmas is coming.

Magic is always stronger on the holidays.

I have about a month to make sure they’re alright.

Darn it-

I  _ could  _ have just left them as they were….

But I didn’t.

I mean, I really couldn’t.

-If they were anyone else, would the outcome have been different?

I’ll never know, now……..

***

_ Two Months Ago. _

_ A little before Halloween. _

Black flower.

If they appear, that’s how you know.

Someone’s about to have a Nightmare.

-Thankfully, this one was budded-

But it could turn into trouble left unchecked.

I’m sure they’ll also get the alert soon.

I poke at it.

_. . . . . pretty. . . . .water. . . . . _

Sounds like a child.

Sometimes…..the worst monsters come ironically from their dreams.

‘I’d better check this out-’

I focus-

I flow green light along the vine, and it creeps back over my arm.

  
  
  


………………...I didn’t expect the beach before Winter, but surprisingly enough, that’s not the strangest sight I’ve seen.

“Pretty. . . . . .”

She barely comes up to my knee.

This little girl in a pink dress-

She takes a step out into the decidedly non-shallow area-!

-I swoop over and catch her.

“-Huh?”

I brace myself-

Preparing for the scared reaction.

“. . . . . . . .”

‘She just looks like she’s dreaming….in a dream. Um-’

“....”

She twists around, as if trying to inspect me better.

“.................Are you the tooth fairy?”

“-N-o”.

I barely keep from laughing-

“I’m-I’m an...elf-”

“Pretty…..ears……”

She reaches out to touch one-

“Careful…”

I always get chills-

“Are you Santa?”

“-No-”

I don’t think he would approve of my over-sleeping in the Winter months, anyhow.

“Santa’s the guy in red all the time”.

“Oh……..I don’t remember that-”

“You don’t?”

I thought every kid knew-

“I don’t……..remember a lot”.

“...............”

“But…..”

She twists her head again-

“I like the water….”

“Yes….it is nice…..”

It seems peaceful here, actually.

Just the waves-

Although….

It’s weirdly empty, even so.

I feel like-

Something’s just... _ sitting  _ there.

Under the surface.

It has to be.

It wouldn’t have been a black flower, otherwise….

“I can’t remember….I’ll probably forget, tomorrow. . . . . . . .”

She splashes with a foot.

“I already forgot-”

“.....Would it help to write it down?”

“I’m small”.

“I know-but your arms are pretty long”.

“-I only have two arms”.

“Um...okay-”

I reach in my pocket.

‘No...no…-’

Why do I even  _ have  _ a can opener?

‘Aha-’

A black marker.

Non-poisonous.

“What do you want to remember?”

“Mm. . . . . .my name-”

“You don’t remember-?”

I almost drop it in shock!

“I don’t remember my name sometimes”.

“Uh...well…….”

‘Hmm….’

“Would you...like a new one?”

“........Are you gonna write it?”

“Yes”.

“...........I like. . . .strawberries”.

“You want me to write Strawberry?”

“No….”

“.......I can draw a strawberry-”

“I want…’Ichigo’”.

“-What does that mean?”

“Strawberry”.

“Oh…”

I feel like I should have known that-

“Mama…..Mama said...we live there-”

“I can write that”.

I uncap it.

“But-we had-to go away-because I kept forgetting”.

I draw big, block letters, and then a long arrow.

“There”.

“. . . . . . .”

It’s not a Van Gogh or anything, but it should help-

“I-Chi-Go-.....”

She looks it up and down.

“-Thank you!”

She smiles.

“You’re welcome-”

Fuzzing.

‘It’s almost over-’

She’ll wake, soon.

“. . . .I have to go now-don’t be scared….you’ll just wake up-”

“-Wake…?”

It’s fuzzing more-

“No. I don’t wanna-”

-For a girl around nine years, her arms hold a surprisingly powerful grip.

  
  
  


I open my eyes.

‘What-’

It’s a big room.

Very opulent.

That’s already a bad sign.

Also, a bad sign, are the line of five kids on the couch across from me.

One of them is the girl I just drew on-

‘I don’t like that-’

I can hear clattering from somewhere.

It smells like earth. . .and cookies.

‘-Why is my skin crawling?’

I stand up-

I follow the noise-

‘Why is this like every horror movie, ever-’

Someone’s washing something.

They don’t appear to be like anyone I’ve ever heard of-that is to say, you might run into a person in bright clothes on the street, and never imagine that something is a  _ little- _

‘I don’t think these kids are supposed to be here’.

I quietly inch away-

I knock the coat rack over.

_ No-! _

I fumble for it-

It  _ just  _ barely taps the ground.

I freeze-

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

The water’s too loud, thank the-!!

I can’t be sure that they’ll see me or not.

This has never happened before-

Being pulled through someone else’s mind.

I can’t send them anywhere unless I know where they live-

But they’re all out of it.

‘Think-’

Can’t move them, if they return, they’ll notice.

‘Maybe-I can bring them around, and then-’

But…

Induced consciousness is dangerous.

Exposing anyone to someone else’s power is dangerous-

‘I don’t like the idea of leaving them alone……’

Granted, I don’t know the context.

I only have that one reaction. . . . .

I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I kneel, and softly grip the child’s head-

‘Just hang in there, okay-’

For a moment, a greenish glow filters from under her eyelids.

Then it fades.

I move on to the next-

Then the next-

“. . . . ?”

Stirring.

She rubs her eye-

“Huh-Mr. Santa-”

The next kid yawns-

“Mom-?”

‘Now what’.

“Who are you!?” the last teen in line asks.

“Shh-!”

I put my finger to my lips-

“I’m scared-”

Another cringes-

The one in the middle’s eyes are wide.

“What just happened-”

The water turns off.

‘Oh no-’

“Quick-where’s the calmest place you can think of-”

“Who are you, Mister!?”

The last teen, again.

“I’m supposed to be at  _ school!!” _

_ -Right  _ when they come in.

“-Excuse me?”

My voice disappears.

“How did you get in here? I  _ locked  _ both doors”.

‘I was afraid of that-’

“-Where’s your school?”

“Huh-”

“I can get you there, but you have to tell me where it  _ is-” _

“No way!”

“Are you related or something?” the second teen asks-

“No-”

‘I’d certainly  _ hope  _ not-!!’

“Children go back to sleep. . . .”

I see her take something out of her pocket, and spray it.

“I’ll make the scary man leave-”

“I’m like, sixteen”, one of them counters.

“Don’t breathe it in-!” I warn-

I rip a vine from the floor, and toss it around the woman’s wrist.

I pull it taut.

“It’s-”

The last teen grabs ahold of the fourth teen’s hand and  _ runs. _

The other two, split off, and the girl I just met-

She heaves up a potted plant, and throws it!

It smacks into the woman’s shins, and she cries out-

I pull the bottle from her grip.

Perfume.

It smashes on the floor-

“The beach!! I want to go to the beach!!!”

I duck my head so I won’t be caught up in what is almost definitely a drug.

I scoop her up-

I mentally try to picture where we were-

The waves, the night-

A  _ yank  _ at my arm.

I stomp at her foot, and she falls.

She is a human, in the end. . . . .

And I’m not.

I hate to do it, but leaving her awake, makes me nervous.

I swipe her feet from under her, and she hits the floor with a solid-sounding _thunk._

I check her pulse-

‘Alive’.

-To be honest, I’m not sure I would have minded if she’d ended up. . .

People...like her………

“. . . . . . I want to go to the beach………”

“We’ll go….”

  
  


I find a window open on the first level.

And the dog door’s been scraped to the side, even though, if there  _ was  _ a dog, they should have been barking like mad by now.

‘They’ve gone’.

Good.

I look back to the conked form.

‘What do I do with you…….’

I worry I can’t do anything-

‘I could call the police-’

But there’s barely evidence of a problem-besides the plant, the opened escapes, and the  _ oppressive  _ smell.

‘There’s not a chance in heck they’d be useful’.

Unless. . . .

I have a horrible, awful, idea.

But I don’t want to mess around with kidnapping.

Especially when none of them are even in  _ high school- _

It’s not hard to bring up more vines when I’m agitated.

“. . . . . . . .Can we go to the beach now?”

  
  


*

  
  


_ November 30th, 2020. _

It’s there.

Again.

The black flower-

‘-It’s not the same one?’

These really are rare, though-

‘What’s going on-’

As I watch, red thorns curl up and out of the petals.

Leaving holes-

‘Wait-huh!?’

Why is it doing that-

I try to think of a reason, maybe some kind of overgrowth?

For a dream?

Even a bad one-

‘It doesn’t make sense’.

-Now it’s starting to break into the wall-

‘Yeah, this is too weird to leave alone’.

  
  


-My first glimpse of ‘I messed up’...

The entire place is  _ covered  _ in vines.

They’re nothing like mine.

They drip with poison. . .

I try to weave through the tangle as quietly as possible.

They trap me, I can’t imagine how I’ll fare.

There’s barely any light-

The bulbs have been popped from their sockets.

“Hello . . . ?”

Not a sound.

“Anyone...here……?”

I crane my neck-

It’s even darker toward the back.

I’m not looking forward to that…..

I bend double to fit through the last serration between plants.

A small figure lies on the floor in a ball, trembling.

I kneel.

“Hey. . .”

I’m on the fence about touching their shoulder.

“Are you alright-”

They keep on shivering.

“. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .”

I start looking in my pockets for something that could help.

‘Assuming they’ll let me-’

Anti-nausea tablets for Cocoa, 

Some non-flaming candles from Claymore,

Two healing potions because the latter always ends up breaking one.

I should probably invest in a lock box.

I uncork one, and lightly turn their head-

What.

Is.

That.

It looks like. . . .there’s a  _ hand  _ coming out of their….mouth-

It  _ twitches. _

The plants swish agitatedly-

Cutting noises.

They’re growing bigger.

More lethal-

My brilliant idea is to pin the hand to the carpet while I pour the elixir in-around-

They cough.

Their eyelids flutter-

The hand shakes.

It digs at the ground, and then latches onto a particularly fluffed tuff.

It drags itself out. . .into an arm!?

Choking-

The lips are distorted as a massive head of hair escapes.

And then this. . .person, in a dirty smock kicks the body off in one fluid motion, and snarls in my  _ face. _

‘What the heck is that-’

-I’d yell or shout or something if I could  _ talk. _

As it is, my vines struggle to sprout-

They hiss and spit at me like a  _ cat,  _ and then speed away.

And by ‘speed’, I mean blink and you miss it-and then they’re gone.

  
  


I feel for a pulse.

Still breathing. . .

I’m using one of my candles, and despite the greenish glow, I recognize who it is:

The scared girl.

The one whom the louder, more assertive girl brought out of danger-

‘Oh no. . .’

She’s got no shadow.

I think that’s what just left.

I was worried this would happen……

I didn’t think it’d actually do it, though...manifest, like that.

It must’ve been too much for her….

‘She couldn’t hold it in anymore’.

I don’t have anything in particular that could help her forget this dream, I wasn’t prepared-for  _ that. _

‘Maybe she’ll wake up and forget on her own’.

Maybe…

What of the others?

Did they suffer like so, too?

_ If _ they did-

‘I have to find them. It’s the least I owe-’

I wipe the sweat from her forehead.

‘Remorse’, doesn’t even  _ begin  _ to describe it.

‘Nobody’s even  _ seen  _ a shadow do that before!’

Nor does  _ anyone  _ need a super-powered. . .I don’t know, dark side?

Running amok-

‘What happens if they meet?’

I panic at the thought of that poor kid dying-

Or worse, becoming possessed.

You hear all these stories of unsavory creatures leaving a mark like that, and then I’m the one who goes and actually does it.

  
  


*

_ Now. _

The only way this could become worse, is if I encouraged someone else to pull the same trick.

Whether from the Dream World, or not.

I cracked off a piece of the plant, and it didn’t take much to link with it.

Ever since, I’ve been following the pale-coral line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Five humans, and a ghost.

Their faces are vivid in my mind-

I continue walking.

Snow’s falling, now…

I wonder how easy it’s going to be to convince them to keep the secret...providing I can even bring it up.


	2. Abby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First up: an encounter in a small house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Drinking, non-alcohol. Lil' fantasy violence.

Dec. 3rd, 2020, Thurs. 

I hope not a one turns out to be selfish.

I think if they were, the world would be doomed.

At least it’d be only one world…

But a lot of people live here.

_ Thorns. _

Such power-

. . .

I guess I should be lucky they’re just kids.

  
  


The pink light runs out.

I look up:

‘Oh wow. . .’

Pink ridges run from every window, and curl over the roof.

‘That can’t be good…..’

I climb the cracked stairs.

It’s a white house, small, and very much un-fancy.

Chipped ladder on the wall, and a random fire extinguisher covered in dust.

I knock on the door.

. . . . “Hello?”

They sound like they’re a thousand years old.

‘Parent?’

Grand-parent, more likely-

“Er. . .hi…..”

“Who is it-”

“Um-”

_ I went and possibly accidentally gave someone you know powers yesterday- _

….Who would believe that, though?

“-I noticed you have a. . . .creeping plant devouring your upstairs?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s coming out your windows from here-”

“It is?”

I hear...noises?

Thumping.

I wait there, folding my arms against the cold.

I shiver-

A light misting of flakes was left behind.

I think the temperature dropped fifty degrees. . . . .

I breathe, and I see a slight cloud.

Some people stare at me curiously.

Does this place have zero visitors half the time?

-When I stare back, they find something else to do.

I almost scoff.

That figures. . .

Rattling.

The spikes at an upper side-window are jerking like a puppet on strings caught in a hole.

‘They’ve found it-’

The paint tears, and I cringe at the shrill racket it makes.

‘Now what’.

The Concerned Citizen won’t come off the wrong way, but it won’t bring me any closer to the young person I need to see.

The shutter cracks-partially.

“Oh my…”

A flash of half-moon spectacles.

“Oh dear-”

“Do you want some help?” I call up-

“Eh?”

“Do you want some help!” I repeat, louder-

“I’m afraid you’ll have to speak with more wind, son-”

They push a hand in front of a crammed ear.

“I be particularly hard-of-hearing these days”.

‘Gahh….’

“I SAID-”

“EH!??”

-.

I stride to the row of trellises below, ignoring what are surely more stares.

‘Great. . .just, great’.

“DO YOU WANT SOME HELP!??”

I cup my hands to my mouth so maybe-

“Eh? You want to buy me some kelp?”

-Where in the world did they get that.

“No-”

-Footsteps.

“-What are you doing…?”

It’s her…

She doesn’t appear worse for wear despite yesterday’s nightmare…

Her backpack is almost as big as she is.

-And  _ then  _ the recognition kicks in.

Her eyes widen.

I open my mouth to explain myself-

Thorns burst out of the ground, and wrap around my legs.

“Wait-!”

I lose my balance, and hit the earth with a thump.

“It’s okay-”

I outstretch my arm, and she flinches.

Pink barbs crawl up my torso and I can’t pull it back.

-My own vines start to break from below, agitated.

They’re strangled  _ terrifyingly  _ fast-

My ribs start-to ache-

. . .

“It’s-okay…”

-A rush of air, and all of a sudden, I can  _ breathe  _ again!

I cough-

The faded light catches on a pair of enormous garden shears.

“It’s alright, my dear. . . .he was going to buy me some kelp”.

“. . . .”

She hides behind him-this guy as tall as a lumberjack-

Her eyes snap, and pink thorns creep up her legs-

The sight is familiar to me but before I can connect it to anything, I’m helped to my feet.

“He was with the lady”, she whispers.

“Was he?”

She nods.

“Hmm…”

“I swear-I wasn’t helping her”.

I wheeze-

“Well...why don’t you come in for tea?”

We mirror each other’s confused expressions.

“If he makes a fuss, you can always wrap him in hydrangeas”.

Hydrangea?

‘. . .Somehow, it fits’.

“Please don’t do that-”

I rub my arm.

“I promise, I’m not-”

A what?

A creep?   


Stalker. . . .

It probably looks  _ really  _ bad right now.

“Working with that woman…..I’ve barely seen her before in my life”.

“Alright….but won’t you come in anyhow?”

I wonder what for.

‘Why is he-?’

I follow his gaze.

Vine shoots have sprouted among the thick thorn stalks.

‘Oh’.

  
  


I haven’t had jasmine in a long, long, time.

I almost forgot how soothing it is…..

“You have a very strange name”, he says, “But...I feel like I’ve-heard of you before. Somehow”.

“Really?”

‘How can that be?’

I barely travel here-

The girl whispers something in his ear.

She’s still behind him, even though he’s sitting at the table, and I haven’t made any moves.

I wouldn’t, anyway.

'Wait, what if-'

“I believe so...can’t quite remember where”.

He shrugs.

“I’m sure it’s nothing”.

“...............................”

I internally sigh.

“You gave her plant powers?”

“Apparently”.

“They aren’t lethal, are they?”

“.....No-”

Except-

“Oh good…”

He exhales.

“Unless her emotions run over”.

‘Like they did when that thing broke loose-’

I don’t know if he’s aware of the nightmare she had or not.

“Meaning?”

“Stress. . .despair. . .any negative emotion might cause an overgrowth if not dealt with properly”.

“-You have experience with this?”

-I choke.

“I-I mean-”

I’ve been panicked in the past, but-

“It’s never gotten-too bad...ever-"

-His expression doesn’t change much, but I notice he sips his tea far too long.

I swallow my uneasiness.

“Even if it did happen, it’s possible that she could get out of it entirely on her own…”

“Or else?”

“Or else. . .someone she trusts would have to come find her”.

“Seems a bit risky”.

“-My father warned me about it...that’s how I know”.

'Among...other incidents-'

“Your father?”

“It’s a common magical hazard”.

“I heard there were four others. . . .”

“-Yeah".

It’s the first word I’ve heard from her ever since we went inside.

“We barely got away".

“Ah...yes, that's right, I remember-"

“You forgot to ask who was at the door first, it could've been anyone".

“Right, right...I'll remember next time".

“Good”.

‘-It honestly fits’.

Maybe...I _won't_ have to worry. . .

(She narrows her eyes at me more).

I think......

“And yes, they should also have similar abilities after the encounter”, I add-

“I don’t suppose. . .you have any idea where they’ve ended up?”

“Aiden’s family left town as soon as they heard”.

“. . . .Which one is-”

“Abby’s older friend”.

Abby, being the girl right in front of me.

In front of, hiding. . . . .

“Oh...I’m sorry-”

“It’s fine. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to follow”.

She avoids my eyes.

“Tama commutes from the next city. They and Aiden were pen pals. They might still be there. . . . .”

“Thank you”.

“I don’t know anything about the little girl”.

“.....That’s understandable”.

Hope she’s feeling better….wherever she is.

‘At least I have a clue that she likes the beach’.

That midnight beach-

“And the last one?”

“Everyone calls her M.R. I think she’s a friend of Tama’s”.

“Alright”.

I finish my cup.

Set it down…

“Thank you again”.

“No problem”.

………..It’s a good start-

“Ever hear anything about some kind of...ghost?”

“Ghost?”

His eyebrows wrinkle.

“Can’t say that I have”.

“They kind-of look like they...escaped from somewhere”.

Literally.

“Escaped?”

“Yeah...and their hair is matted-”

“Huh. That’s odd…”

I take a quick glance at Abby.

She doesn’t have an emotion on her face aside from wariness. . . . .

‘I can’t tell if she remembers what happened in that dream, or not’.

“-Well thanks anyway. . .”

I stand.

“I’ll probably be back around-”

“Have fun”.

“.....Sure”.

On my way out the door, I stop:

“Uh, keep this whole ‘growing thorns’ business under wraps, please?

You just. . .”

I struggle with how...to tell it-

“Never know who might want something similar for less...noble purposes”.

“Heaven forbid such a thing”.

‘-Is he being sarcastic?’

No trace in his voice…

“I won’t let a word slip”.

He pats her shoulder-

“.....”

-Although it makes me nervous that I don’t have an answer from her, there’s really nothing to be done.

I’ll just have to trust-

And it’s not like she’s overreacting.

“. . . . . What’s the name of where Tama lives again?”

*

One down.

Four (five) more to go.

I write what I’ve learned on my hand so I won’t forget it.

My teeth sting.

He must’ve added something extra to the tea.

Some...herb, or whatever.

Unless it's nerves-

I'm lucky she didn't snap-again...and attack me or something.

Right there in front of him. . .

The fact I don’t know where the shadow is follows me all the way home.

*

The Dream World.

A kaleidoscope-like universe-

Glass bubbles float for protection’s sake, no one’s a fool out here.

The optical illusion of the different places looking the same size is interesting to me.

Of course, at the edges of it all is where we live:

Me, my brothers, and my parents.

In fact, it’s my father who created it.

Connected it-

He’s a Chrono-Elf, or something, possibly the only one in eternity.

Morpheus, although I suspect he has no business with the Greek Gods.

My mom is a human, Helia, I’m not sure how she got here...

I’m glad she’s happy, though.

He doesn’t seem to know if he has parents or not, and she...if she still has hers, she never talks about them.

It’s only lately I’ve noticed.

That’s probably where the pink hair gene comes from (cough, cough, Cocoa-), but despite that, I look like him, he looks like her, and Claymore takes after both of them.

You won’t find anyone you’ve ever known in your life here, mostly.

These worlds within a world don’t really fit anywhere else.

As such, it takes a pocket dimension to find them, I suppose. . .

I asked about it once, and he said to me:

‘They tend to be made up of what no one’s thought about before’.

I land on the front step.

Aside from Helia, no one from outside, has ever been inside.

Somehow, I feel like that’s a good thing.

You just never know with some people…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hydrangeas are pretty, but they can be poisonous, I thought they'd fit, for a girl with a beautiful, but dangerous power.


	3. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Two: A terrible accident leads to good luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Collision, head trauma, mention drinking stuff. Blood.

Dec. 4th, 2020, Fri. 

  
  


As for me, my name is Envy.

-It’s because of my eyes.

They’re grass green, but somehow, I always know when someone’s harmless behavior is actually ‘harmless’.

It’s a headache for those who would prefer I shut up.

It’s ironic, because I barely talk, anyway.

Even though I can tell such a thing, the right words are painfully hard to find….

-Anyway, I’m going out the door this morning, and this pink blur is just randomly hanging off the ceiling.

“-!?”

Naturally, the first thing I do is a double-take-

“-!?”

-We mirror each other’s surprise, and then Cocoa does a spectacular nosedive to the floor.

“-!!”

I narrowly catch him-

“...You scared me!”

“You scared me!”

“I didn’t even hear you!”

“What are you doing being a bat!?”

“Huh-oh. I learned a new trick!”

He looks very proud of himself.

“I learned how to meditate-”

“Upside-down?”

“Yeah!”

He puts his hat back on his head.

“You should try it sometime”.

“. . .I think I’ll pass”.

The last time I tried to hover above anything, I almost broke my neck.

“Suit yourself”.

He floats into position again like nothing happened at all-

“....Have fun…”

I’m about to go out the door, again, when a _fiery_ -haired blur nearly runs me over!

“Ow-”

“What the-!?”

-’Ow’.

That’s it?

He crashed into my  _ knee- _

“Claymore-”

“Sorry-!”

“Hi”.

“Why is Cocoa floating on the ceiling?”

“He-’s meditating”.

“Cooool”.

Coming from the guy who can use fireballs.

We both get up-

“This is early for ya-”

“Have errands”, I quickly explain, “will be back later-”

“What errands?”

“Need to check on some blossoms-”

“-You got new seeds?” Cocoa calls-

“Something like that-”

“-You’re never this early in the Winter, though-” I catch Claymore mumbling-

“This is really important!”

I step into the atmosphere, feeling a little bad, but it is also true-

‘Hopefully, I can find more of them today….’

I’m not so sure I want to let my family in on it.

If I can handle it on my own, it won’t be a problem.

I think.

-In a way, I guess I have this idea in my head that I should have used my powers better?

(I couldn’t portal them back into a dream, though).

It doesn’t work if I don’t know where I’m going.

*

I walk onto the cobblestoned path.

A family walks by, the young boy chattering about a kid’s cartoon or something.

“Watch! I’m like Mr. Brewer-

‘They don’t make these like they used to-’”

The New York accent is on point.

“Oh-?” the mom says-

“Yeah-you got any cents? I’d like to feed the birds-”

-In the same tone.

Perfect.

‘Nice to see people getting along-‘

-I almost trip into the fountain.

‘Nobody saw that-’

I sigh.

“-Hey! That guy almost just fell into the fountain!”

“Pete, don’t point-”

“Oh dear”.

I….’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear it.

I’ll just keep walking-

‘No other warped and twisted dreams…..’

Finding Tama won’t be easy.

It’s a coin toss-up as to whether or not they’d even still be at school (which is huge, I can see it from  _ ten blocks away)  _ since, from their perspective, they never saw that woman get caught.

(She didn’t. But…)

I have zero knowledge of what they can even do now…

I didn’t ask for a home address.

...Why would I even do that, they’d flip-

Although they seem to tow a line between calmness, and fire-

They weren’t as ready to kick me as  _ she  _ was, per se, but…

They didn’t sound like they were planning to be pushed around with little resistance, either.

  
  


-I sum up my character analysis as soon as I reach the line of lamp posts.

The houses here are eerily looking like white cake-

‘Creepy’.

I’m getting as far as the front steps now…

-And then I’m blindsided by a car.

*

-For the record, it didn’t actually hurt me, and then I feel nothing when I wake up.

I’m being...wheeled?

-That sounds really stupid, but I know what I mean.

It’s kind-of...gray, here.

People hang out, everywhere. . .

I groan, and press at my eyes.

I’m seeing things-

I feel like I’m seeing their faces-

Abby and...Ichigo’s. . .

-But of course, it’s super-blurry, and my head’s starting to ache now.

I wish this ride would stop-

So I could think for five minutes.

I don’t even remember-

Just-black-

It stops in front of a room.

  
  


The next thing I do, is wake up again-

My  _ head. _

I’m flattened to the bed.

For some reason, why am I so  _ heavy- _

‘I’m so cold. . . . . . .’

-Yes, that was my second thought.

I couldn’t seem to-keep-awake-

  
  


The third time, someone’s there.

I’m certain they are-

“. . .Hello. . .?”

I struggle to sit up-

“Who is it-”

The presence passes.

In the hallway.

A wave of nausea runs over me, and I grip the railing.

One of my arms is strapped close to my chest-

No wonder I’m so cold, I don’t have my coat-

I stare at the floor.

Trying  _ not  _ to be sick.

I have healing potions in the pockets-

My eyes wobble in double vision, looking for it.

One. . .one for trouble,

One because-.......because-Claymore is always breaking it by accident-

One extra, for extra’s sake-

And--

And---

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

One, for the last of us.

And one more, in case  _ that one  _ breaks.

I-

Make a lot of potions-

What was I thinking of?

Oh yeah-

Where did they put it?

It’d stick out like a sore thumb-it’s pitch-black, and everything-here-is lighter-

I somehow find enough strength to heave a leg over.

-The floor is  _ freezing- _

Okay…

Other leg-

I’m standing.

‘-This was a bad idea-’

I keep having bad ideas…

Everything is  _ double. _

I think that car whacked my brain into space-

I fumble for the blanket, and wrap it around myself.

I make it to the door-

I have a vague idea of why everyone’s wearing the same uniform-

They keep having multiple limbs.

-The hallway is tripping-

They may as well be faceless for all I can tell.

‘Where-’

I can’t tell.

  
  


I walk for a while, air short.

My eyes ache, from scanning to the dark rectangle at the end.

I slow. . .

I lean on the wall.

-Is that a woman with a giant doll!?

I blink, I hope I’m hallucinating that time-

They’ve always freaked me out.

So dead inside…

I used to think there were dead bodies in them.

When I was 4-

I shiver, they really  _ should  _ turn on the heater-

I sink down the wall, and pull my knees to my chest.

The facelessness continues, swimming along-

I’m not making any sense-

  
  


Foot-prints-?

  
  


Someone sits alongside-

. . . . . I know her face.

I know her face.

It’s…

. . . . . . .

I  _ do  _ know her face-

“Hi”.

“....I know you”.

“Yes”.

“........What’s your name again, I’m so sorry-”

“I don’t think I ever said it-”

‘Why did I say that? Of course she hasn’t. Somebody else did-’

“.....Right-”

“You look kinda lost, there”.

“-Not-lost, just…”

What?

“It’s very cold”.

“-I’ll get somebody”.

  
  


-I mean, it slipped away, and it’s like I never left.

***

-A concussion.

I knew it was-

Unbelievable.

I could have up to two weeks before I stop acting like I’m on something.

‘What kind of timing is this!?’

At least nobody asks any questions I can’t answer-

Like why I have zero identification or anything (you don’t need that in Dreams).

Or when I’m going to pay the inevitable bill.

(I don’t need money-I just need sunlight).

If anyone’s been in.

I haven’t noticed all day.

Unless it’s night now.

Must be busy.

I need my coat.

I could clear out the pain faster-

Still don’t know how bad things could get.

If I could leave on my own.

I’m stuck waiting for her to come back.

If she will-

I don’t recognize anyone here.

***

“Feeling better?”

-I whack my elbow off the bar-

“Ow-ouch-I  _ was-” _

I don’t move, there’s no trouble.

“That’s good”.

“. . .It’s a start”.

“Yeah-it’s lucky those people saw you”.

“What people?”

“That family”.

She tilts her head.

“The boy did a cartoon impression. You saw him, right?”

“. . . .What? But-”

‘She was there?’

“.....?”

“......?”

We stare at each other.

“....How do you know?”

“The memories told me”.

-What.

  
  


Her hair turns white, and her eyes light up.

Her hand is so warm, it almost burns.

On the wall, in a faint pink outline, is me-

I’m thrown out the doorway by the impact of the pink car.

‘Oh my gosh-’ (the dad)

‘-The poor man!’ (the mom. She’s fishing through her purse-)

‘-What-What-Did that-Really happen-’ (that’s the kid.

The person in the car rushes out-’

But the scene flips.

‘It’s me at Abby’s house, having tea’.

The scene flips twice-

‘I’m in the woman’s house, burying something’.

It flips a third time.

‘I’m on the beach with the little girl’.

-It flips further and further back the flashes no longer able to be told apart from each other.

I catch the sound of breaths-

Her hand is becoming tighter.

Her nose bleeds-

She drops to the floor, and the contact is broken, the smell of copper getting worse as the gush gets worse.

I feel a chill as I see what’s there now-

A tall man with bleeding eye marks, and ripped spines growing out of his back.

The color fades to black, and for a moment, I’m afraid he’s going to break free of the wall.

Harsh coughing.

The image dissolves, and I help her up, unsteadily-

White streaks still flutter in her hair.

“I saw it-earlier-”

She drags in a ragged breath.

“I saw it in the hall-”

“I know-”

I pat her shoulder.

“Don’t strain yourself”.

“-I-won’t-”

  
She swipes at her nostrils.

“...M.R.?”

“-Huh?”

‘Was I right-’

That was just a blind guess.

“How did you-?”

“Lucky?”

I shrug.

‘Ow-’

Slight shoots of holly and rose tangle in the air grates.

No doubt agitated by the loss of control I’d just seen-

“Have you done it before?”

“No. . .not a lot-”

“I wouldn’t try to do it for too long, then…”

She nods-She nods harder.

“-What was-that?”

“That?”

“The specter. On the wall-”

‘-She did spot it’.

Chills at my spine aren’t welcome.

“. . . . . Something that happened...a while ago. . .it didn’t end...well..."

“It didn’t look it”, is the only comment she has.

  
  


I change the subject:

“-I seem to have lost my coat...do you-?”

“If it’s exceptionally dirty, it goes to the laundry room...or to the evidence locker”.

“Which one’s easier to reach?”

“Laundry”.

“Okay. . .and items...in it?”

“Probably in a basket somewhere. I can look-”

She lets go of me, and stumbles.

“-There’s no hurry-” I rush to tell her-

“.....What are you looking for?”

“Every bottle I own-that sounds so wrong, that’s not what I meant, I promise-”

“What’s in them?”

No fish-glance.

I internally sigh with relief-

“It’ll help you, and me too. Though, since you’re a human, I’m not sure you’ll be able to drink much-”

“-You’re not a human?”

“No-but I’ll explain all that when you’re not so pale”.

-Never mind the fact I probably don’t look much better…..

“It’ll reduce the effects of magic overdose”.

“Okay….”

“You’ll be able to tell it’s mine because the liquid is green-tinted”.

“Okay-”

She kneels to poke at the blood spatter.

“Oh dear. . . .”

“You won’t be blamed-it was an accident”.

  
  


She didn’t have to stay, but she fell asleep on that chair.

I wonder why.

We’re barely acquaintances……..

I frown, remembering the final picture painted in front of my eyes.

There was a reason I had no inclination to be merciful toward others like that woman. . . .

The one and only time I’d gotten angry enough to….be monstrous, I guess.

I don’t know. . . .

I don’t usually let my plant side show-

I tend to scare everyone away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The luck this man has is notoriously poor, or perhaps it's just weird.


	4. The Bottles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training doesn't exactly go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Food/eating. Liquid/drinking. No alcohol.

Dec. 5th, 2020, Sat. 

  
  


Somebody brought in chocolate ice cream on a tray.

“It’s to help with shock”.

-I tried to hand it over to M.R., and it landed upside-down on the empty chair.

-I don’t know who was more mortified, me, or the faceless doctor.

  
  


They actually went and brought  _ more. _

When they left, I’d taken two bites-

Too-cold--

My teeth  **hurt.**

So I just propped it on the chair-

It wasn’t wasted on the floor the second go-around.

I feel less bad about it now…….

I turn over and try to sleep.

*

-The sudden warmth makes me sit up-

She startles a little.

The bottle in her hand slips-

I manage to help her catch it before it can smash all over the ground.

“You did it”.

“Yeah. . . .”

She’s covered in dust.

Makes me wonder what happened-

She struggles with the cap.

It pops loose-

“I could only bring one-”

“That’s alright”, I reassure her, “You can keep it”.

“Huh-but…”

“They can always be recovered later-”

“...”

She looks at me for a long while.

“If you’re sure…”

“Trust me, it’s better if we don’t mix backwash”.

“Eww…”

She wrinkles her nose.

But she drinks-

A tiny bit.

The color rushes into her cheeks-

“Woah”.

“Yeah…”

I specifically used a  _ ton  _ of distilled myrrh for it.

“Thank you”.

“You’re welcome…”

I nod to the melted cream.

“Um. . .you can have that too, if you want-”

“Really?”

“-You’d just have to cut off the small bites-”

“Thanks”.

I watch her re-settle herself on the hard wood-

“You know...I can help you with your power...running away like that-”

“You’re still dizzy though, right?”

“...”

‘...Darn’.

“Yes…”

“Then it’s probably not a good idea”.

“......That’s true…”

I can’t help but worry, however. . . .

Abby was quick-to-strike...but had excellent control, in only three days.

M.R. is calmer, but could  _ die  _ if she’s not careful, I know it-

I can’t help but feel responsible if she  _ does. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonding time is best time.


	5. M.R.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How this could even happen in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Nothing, I think?

Dec. 6th, 2020, Sun. 

  
  


It occurs to me that I’ve been gone for a day.

My parents will be worried sick-

My brothers probably won’t be as afraid, they’re pretty tuned in to my off luck by now.

But…

Because I didn’t think something like this was going to happen, I didn’t tell anyone where I was heading.

I’m alternately horrified and relieved at the same time.

-At the same moment the big secret’s jeopardized (there’s no way in heck they won’t ask me how I ended up in the hospital and what I was doing to get there-), I have a second to figure out what to do, on my own.

I have three more magic-wielders to find, and one ghost.

It’s obvious they  _ will  _ have powers, unless Abby and M.R. are just incredibly fortunate.

I have yet to determine if any misuse could occur.

They don’t seem like they would?

First impressions can be deceiving, however-

And then there’s what led to it all…

“-Are you ever worried that woman will return?”

“Um…”

She rocks a little, hands over her knee.

She reminds me of a statue half-somewhere else.

“Sometimes. . . . .”

“...”

I haven’t checked up on her for a while.

“Do you think...you could use what you’ve got, offensively?”

“.....I don’t know”, she lets herself say, after a while, “I haven’t tried. I’m...well maybe I could figure it out…”

‘. . . So it’s hard to tell…’

“Anything weird happen since you escaped?”

“No-my dad did buy a couple tasers”.

“Good move”.

“Yeah-”

She sighs.

“He’s a nurse here, so it’s nice to have some place to go that’s full of people...I’m just afraid of what will happen if she  _ does  _ show up-”

I notice the bulge at her pocket.

“I think she’ll find it a lot harder to take you like that”.

“But the smell-”

“Smell?”

“The-The-”

She gestures-

“The perfume-”

“-Yes...I remember-”

That stuff had been  _ hideously  _ strong.

“If…..”

I purse my lips.

“If it’s not. . . _ too  _ uncomfortable, would you mind telling me how...she kidnapped the five of you-”

“......It’s...okay…….”

She fidgets, arms folding around herself.

“We were at the beach...Tama and I-

We ran into Aiden and Abby at an ice cream stand.

We got to talking…

They seemed alright.

We walked out to the shoreline, the water was really blue, that day, the kind that swallows up anything and everything.

We heard someone yelling-

It was this girl.

She wasn’t very old.

She said:

‘Help, she’s not my mom!!’

-Aiden ran over there like a cannon shot, and we followed…

We saw a woman take a bottle, and-”

She shudders.

“I felt like I was suffocating in flowers”.

I see her keep trembling-

“Does it bother you…? That your powers are plant-based”.

“They are?”

“I saw them a couple days ago”.

“. . .What were they?”

“Holly/rose? I could  _ try  _ to take it back if it’s going to-”

“No. . .no, if they don’t smell, I’ll be fine”.

-I make a mental note to visit them later, they’re still in the grates.

I sure as heck, am not making  _ her  _ do it.

“Good to know”.

She nods-

“After that, I woke up in a strange house, and you were there, and  _ she  _ was there, and-”

“And?”

“And then Tama and I got out the window”.

“I’m glad you escaped”.

“Me too”.

She half-smiles.

It’s small, but it’s there-

“We ran all the way to their place, and then my dad came to get me”.

Her shoulders relax.

-A faint image of a man in scrubs plays in her palm. . .

“I slept all day, and he filed a report...I’m all he has, you know”.

“-Did they do anything?”

“I heard they went there, and they’re still processing everything”.

She shrugs.

“To be honest, I just don’t want to remember her”.

“I don’t blame you”.

……………...Silence falls, and I lay back.

I close my eyes…

‘Two out of five’.

.

.

  
  


.

  
  


*

I must have accidentally passed out, because it was dark when I eventually opened them.

‘I guess it’ll help…’

-With that, but I wish I could’ve helped her a little more.

  
  


I sit up.

The moon’s shining in through the window.

I always feel calmer if it’s not pitch-black.

Easier to see what’s out there.

I look over to the chair.

She’s asleep-

Perched dangerously on the edge.

-I lightly nudge her back to safety-

She stirs slightly, and swipes at my hand.

Otherwise, she’s undisturbed. . . .

I’m amazed people can do that.

I could never-

Not unless I am absolutely  _ exhausted. _

I check the time on a calendar:

‘Almost a week in’.

That’s not so bad…

‘I might be able to make it in time’.

Although it’d probably still be a good idea to warn them all, just in case…

I could always summon them in a dream once I know them all personally, as cliché as it is…

Even though I’ve never done it before-

It might be harder than it seems.

I really have no idea.

  
  


-What’s that noise?

I can hear as well as a rabbit, or so the joke goes. . .

I didn’t hallucinate that.

I  **didn’t** hallucinate that-

There really  _ is  _ a woman with a giant doll lurking around here.

My nerves crawl in that way they do when you’ve just seen something and your mind is working to blur it into nothing as soon as possible.

They’re not dressed like they’re staying here, that is for sure.

But the  _ doll- _

Green is smeared all over the face, down the neck, and just. . . **everywhere.**

It’s like a forest smeared with oil suddenly bloomed-

M.R.’s eyebrow twitches.

-They finish shuffling on by. . .

I can’t get over how much that **_smells_** like I’ve been stabbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some creepy stuff, going on here.


	6. A Woman And Her Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some neighbors can be eccentric...which is an understatement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Food/eating. Doll/fight mentions.

Dec. 7th, 2020, Mon.

  
  


………………..I didn’t sleep all night long.

Who would.

M.R. started coughing at  _ 5 AM- _

Personnel rushed in to help her out-

They opened every window, and set up every fan--

Somehow, this one is  _ also  _ my fault.

I don’t know how, but the twins from last night got into my things, and  _ no  _ it wasn’t a dream, gosh, I wish it  _ was. _

  
  


*

“-I’m sorry, she chased me into the dumbwaiter with an umbrella-!!”

“What-Wait, what-”

I do a double take, and I don’t even move.

“What-”

It sounds like something from a horror movie.

“-She was ‘feeding’ her doll or...whatever, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I bumped her, and the arm kinda fell, some, and then she was screaming at me-”

This is why I’m not a doll fan.

“Was it actually a doll?”

“-Nobody knows...she walks around the neighborhood at lot...nobody can catch her-”

“No trespassing?”

“She will  _ beat  _ you, with that thing”.

“Why doesn’t anyone...stop her?”

“It’s metal”.

-Oh.

  
  


I’m more concerned she saw that green stuff and thought it fit for ‘human’ consumption.

Not to mention, how in the...world, do you find a  _ metal  _ umbrella!?

“Does anyone know her name?”

“Uh. . .”

M.R. wracks her memory-

“Aubrey? I think it was on my dad’s registry, once….the doll was not the patient, not her”.

“What’s the story with...them?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Does anyone know the...their name?”

I can’t believe I’m even asking.

“No”.

“No one?”

“No one’s been able to get close”.

Makes sense...unfortunately.

“....Right……”

I hate it already.

The only way it could be worse, is if it was somehow human.

. . . . I have not a wooden anything to knock on.

I just realized.

  
  


“...Does your dad know?”

“Not yet…”

“...What would he do?”

“Probably a flying tackle”.

“Whaaat-”

“It’s true. He used to play football”.

-And he turned into a nurse at the hospital who’s very protective of his kid.

I guess they can be good people after all.

*

-Later, it smells like food.

“Mm. . .”

M.R. sniffs-

“Cake-”

“Here? Where?”

“I think it’s someone’s birthday-”

She peeks out the door.

“Is it?”

“I think so-they do it in the Staff Room for each month”.

“That’s sweet…”

“Yeah”.

She grins.

“I might go get some….want any?”

“No thanks. . . .I’m good”.

“Alright”.

  
  


While she’s gone, I debate trying for the window, this time.

I miss the sun…

-I could check the flowers today, they’re still undisturbed in the grates.

I’m feeling somewhat better…

I experiment with getting up?

‘…...That sounds so odd-’

But…

I can stand without everything becoming multiples.

A step ahead of where I was, at least…

I take careful-hang on…

Okay I made it-

Thank goodness-

‘-Do  _ not. _

_ Fall. Over. The. Sill’. _

I have nerves…

I missed this.

-I can see the courtyard. . .

It’ll have been four days since I was hit.

A few more, and the rest of the effects should hopefully completely go away?

Then perhaps I could find Tama-

Not many are taking advantage of the open space, surprisingly…

If I were well enough, I’d spend all my hours there.

…...I crouch down.

Since it’s hers, I’m not certain these flowers  _ will  _ smell, but…

They  _ seem  _ relatively clean.

Abby’s power responded to her emotional state, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that M.R.’s floral aversion is why these tiny blossoms aren’t doing much.

Which is good-

I think she’ll be okay.

I hope so.

I can always let Tama know?

They  _ are  _ close, or speculated to be-

“-Did you-?”

“No, I’m fine-”

-I hadn’t heard her come in.

“Is it-?”

“...”

She digs into the chocolate piece again with the plastic spoon.

“-Little heavy on the frosting, but it’s okay”.

“I checked the flowers-no strong scents”.

“Oh thank God-seriously, I’m gonna Thank Him”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On we go...


	7. Night Terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Food/eating/drinking.

Dec. 8th, 2020, Tues. 

  
  


-I wake up.

I don’t even know what woke me, but I’m in a cold sweat anyway…

I just-lie there, for a few seconds.

My breathing is ragged-

Gradually, I become aware of something...nearby, but otherwise, it’s silent.

Everything is  _ fine- _

I sit upright.

I-stop shaking.

Stop shaking-

M.R. sleeps peacefully on the chair, but that can’t be it.

What the heck is setting me off!??

I sweep the room-

Presence.

Why is there a presence!?

I can’t see, anything-

Oh.

Okay-

It’s very faint.

I’m aware of my heartbeat blowing in my chest-

This...emaciated  _ thing. _

Just...lying there.

On the floor.

‘What is that’.

I don’t want to get near it.

I have a vague idea of what it’s supposed to be.

‘Is it a-?’

Why am I trying to figure that out?

It’s  _ gotta  _ be-

‘Another Shadow-’

But whose?   
  


-I ignore the creepy writhing for .2 seconds, and look back at M.R.

She always seemed grounded on the surface.

Maybe...I was wrong in my initial assessment of her?

-But I find that hard to believe.

-So is it... _ mine,  _ then?

‘Can’t be’.

I try  **_hard_ ** not to be. . .controlled…,by anything. . .

The very thought, is just... _ hideous  _ to me.

I blink.

Rub my eyelids-

It doesn’t go away.

‘I have to vacate these premises,  _ NOW-’ _

-Because I am  _ still  _ half-asleep, and I don’t-want to deal with it.

  
  


I poke her in the shoulder.

“-?”

“M.R.-Wake up, wake up-!!”

“Mm-??”

I’ve dragged myself to my feet.

I am  _ cold,  _ it is  _ 4- _ darned AM.

“Come on-it’s not safe-”

“Wha. . . ?”

I help her up by the elbow, and lead her outside.

*

In hindsight, I’m going to look like some kind of paranoid...I-have-no-idea-what.

I look red-eyed by the pool standards…

I don’t know why I picked the Courtyard.

Plants?

Calmness?

Distinct lack of writhing-things-on-the-floor-?

‘What even was that?’

If I didn’t think better of it, I’d be cautious enough to identify  _ myself  _ a ghost:

I certainly resemble one in that reflection. . .

The gown barely fits, and my hair is everywhere.

It’s either the girl from the well or the crawling spirit, and I’d rather not wonder about either when I’m half-unconscious as is.

M.R. is asleep on the  _ stone  _ bench and I don’t know how that’s possible, but it apparently is.

I press my hands to my face--

‘I can’t remember when the sun’s supposed to rise’.

I might feel better, then-

‘There’s no way I’ll be comfortable being in that room from now on’.

I think-

‘It’s time to leave…’

But I don’t want to let M.R. alone like this.

I crouch by the garden fixture, slightly embarrassed how even like so, I  _ still  _ tower over her-

‘Human heights are weird’.

“M.R.?”

“. . .?”

“Where’s your dad?”

“....Huh-”

She yawns, and straightens.

“What-”

“I’ve decided I’m heading out-”

“Alone? Without permission? What if they send someone after you?”

“If there are any problems, I’ll come back…”

I highly doubt that I will, though.

“Why?”

“. . .”

-If I review my reasons, it’s basically. . .

“I saw some...one, in my room-lying on the floor-they looked like a corpse, but they were still moving”.

“What”.

-She’s wide awake.

“I saw someone. I-I did-”

“-I could’ve called Security if I knew that!”

“You weren’t even fully there at the time”.   
“.....Well, fudge”.

-Despite myself, I smile a little.

“You can still tell them, if you want-”

“Who was it?”

“Some...skeletal-”

“What!?”

“I kid you not”.

“Did you try to talk to them?”

-I’m grateful it’s harder to glimpse the blush in the dark…

Clouds took over the moon, but some rays escape, it’s a small sliver lining to cling to.

“No…”

My mind speaks up again, but I push it aside.

It doesn’t matter.

I’m going.

I don’t care if she thinks badly of me because of it.

“Do you know if my coat is done?”

“-You’d risk a trip to the  _ Laundry Room  _ at this hour!?” she gasps, “It’s in  _ the basement”. _

I gulp nervously.

‘Oh joy’.

“Yes. . .”

“That’s ridiculous! You’d trip and break your  _ neck _ on those stairs!!”

-How did she know I was a klutz?

Sometimes.

But even so-

“The power automatically goes out to discourage residents’ wandering at night-”

“Is that legal?”

“I don’t know, but they do it anyway…”

She rubs her shoulder.

Her eyes shine a bit with tired tears.

This poor girl…

“.......Why do you hang around me?

You barely know me, and even if that doesn’t matter to you, you’re not scared of me?”

“....You never got any visitors”.

She looks away slightly-

Suddenly shy.

“What if...you were lonely. . . .”

“.......”

‘That’s...really sweet-’

“.....You’re a good kid”.

For a moment, I feel the urge to rub her arm reassuringly...but I don’t do it.

Instead, I stand-

“Look, I won’t risk my life-

But I don’t want to walk down the street in such a thin. . .sheet?”

She snickers at my description, politely, because of course she does-

‘No character worries with her-’

-That, and I don’t want to give my family (my mom) a heart attack at the disheveled state I’m in.

Knowing her, she’s probably been waiting up, anyway. . . . .

Guilt pricks at me.

‘I didn’t mean for any of this to happen-’

It was just...bad luck.

That’s all.

She nods.

“There’s a Lost-and-Found by the Front Desk-if that’s empty, I can always raid my dad’s office-”

“Thank you”.

‘Here’s hoping the other three aren’t secretly selfish in disguise’.

*

It’s a gray sweater, and I have no idea who the stockings are.

…..The chill fades from my arms, and not my legs.

I wave goodbye to M.R.-

I can barely catch her waving back, a faintest-pink silhouette…

‘The potion will help. . .as long as she has that, she’ll be alright. She will be’, I try to reassure myself.

‘She’ll be fine’.

  
  


I return home-

It’s worse than I imagined.

_ He’s  _ up, too.

“. . .”

“-Where on  _ earth _ have you been!?!?”

She flies halfway across the room, to hug me-

“I-uh-”

“I was worried  _ sick-!!” _

She pulls away to look at me, hands on my shoulders, even though she’s a good couple heads shorter than me-

“You’ve been gone for  _ days!!!” _

“I’m...sorry…..”

I can’t keep looking at her eyes.

My father comes over-

“We at least assumed maybe your brothers could shed some light on where you’d disappeared off to...but they couldn’t-”   


“Wh. . .”

I swallow-

“Where are they?”

“I’m sure they’re probably listening in somewhere even though they went to bed hours ago-”

-He aims it by the stairwell, which has a bunch of ivy blocking the slats.

I flush darker-

‘This isn’t humiliating at all-’

I’m impressed, though, I have to admit.

Cocoa is medium, and Claymore is loud.

My ears aren’t picking up a  _ twitch. _

“I’m sorry-”

“You know not every world is as situated in a bubble as we are-is that a-?”

I can’t keep looking at him, either.

“-Did you get hurt-!??”

-I should’ve…..just said what’d happened to start with. . . .

“....Hit...by a car-”

The color drains out of her cheeks in an instant, and I’m scared she’ll topple over right then and there.

“-I looked both ways, I swear I did-”

I hold up both my hands-

“S-See? I’m-not hurt-I’m not hurt, really-”

-She starts crying, and I feel bad….

“You scared me. . . . . .”

“I’m sorry….I’m sorry. . . . .”

‘Please don’t cry-’

“Well I think we can agree you’re not going anywhere, for a while, huh?”

I try to talk, but nothing comes out.

“. . . . . . “

I just nod.

He brushes some hair from my face so he can see both my eyes.

“Get some rest...I want to ask you about something tomorrow, okay?”

“.....”

I just nod again-

‘I’m so sorry’, I mouth.

I’m not sure if my mom sees it or not-

-My first instinct is to hide in the greenhouse, it’s habit, and. . .it’s mine…

But I switch paths at the last minute, and climb up the stairs.

I don’t trip on anyone or anything.

***

It’s noon.

I’m tired, and my cheeks are wet.

The sweatshirt smells like dust, and it’s disgusting-

I un-kink my limbs and sit up.

Least the weather’s nice. . .

‘-Oh yeah, he wants to talk to me…’

-And now anxiety’s tangling in my stomach.

‘. . . . . . . . . . .’

I feel gross, but somebody went and found my things…

I search the pockets.

Not even a shard of bio-plastic left.

‘She’ll be fine. . .’

…..Uh, I make sure I look not-gross, and then I go.

*

He’s frying something, I think-

An omelette?

“Morning”.

“. . . Hi…”

I tug on my collar-

“.....What did you. . . . .want to talk to me about?”

“I felt rogue magic in the Dream World, connecting to Earth”.

‘-I knew it….’

“You...did…?”

“Uh-huh”.

“. . . . . . . .”

I shift uncomfortably. . .how do I...start?

“......It’s my fault-”

“I know”.

‘Ouch-’

“...Are you-?”

“Angry?”

He flips the egg, and I wince at the noise.

“. . .Personally, I don’t care...as long as you’re taking responsibility for your actions”.

My face flames-

“I’m trying to…”

Ugh, this is so  _ awkward-! _

“I had to do it, to...save them from a. . .kidnapper…….”

“How many?”

“Five. . .and...yeah. Just five”.

I don’t know if the shadow counts or not.

I don’t even know what that other shadow in the hospital was-

Unless that one was an actual ghost…

But aren’t ghosts just leftover shadows to begin with?

-Full corruption perhaps, instead of. . .whatever-the-heck- _ that- _ was, but nonetheless-

Do I even add that to the truth?

Or not?

I probably should. . . . .

Too late now…………..

“What are they like?”

“I’ve been able to meet with two. . .they seem okay….”

“Word of Advice: They always do, at first”.

“.......”

I rub my arms-

“-Is it possible to take the magic back?”

“No. Once it’s there’s, it’s there’s for life. . .assuming they haven’t been lifted to our level of immortality by such an act…..”

“....Really?”

‘Has he done this before?’

“It’s just common knowledge. . . . . .though I suppose it’s a bit funny to hear coming from the only one of my kind”.

He gives a lopsided grin.

“That’s how I learned it, anyway”.

“. . . .I’m pretty sure they’re nice kids. They would’ve been wreaking havoc by now if not, right?”

“..............Sometimes”.

That’s not reassuring.

“I still have to find them-”

“If you know who they are, why don’t you just visit them another way?”

I bite my lip-

“I. . .could, but-”

I’ve never done something like that before.

“I’ve never been inside anyone’s dreams sans nightmare-”

“Can’t hurt to try. Can it?”

“But. . .how-”

“You’ll see their magic”.

“-Even when they’re not using it?”

“If you know what they look like, you shouldn’t have any trouble connecting to them, their powers came from yours, after all…”

“. . . .Alright…”

I guess he senses my hesitation, because he pats my shoulder.

“You’re pretty good at this stuff, all three of you are. You’ll get the hang of it”.

“Thanks. . . .”

  
  


-Since I’ve slept a total of eight hours so far, the chances that I’ll be able to do that earlier than nightfall is slim to none.

Then again, I’m bad about sleep debts.

‘I dozed off a lot in the hospital, though-’

I’d better tread lightly…..

They may not have outright called it ‘grounding’, yet the idea is basically the same.

I’m not supposed to be straining myself-

I sigh.

  
  


I decide to check on the green house.

-How it works here, is, everyone has their own ‘space’ while staying over.

Everyone drops in anytime-

Sometimes I’m hesitant, but mom says it’s  _ not  _ freeloading to visit, so. . .

Yeah.

I push aside the dividing curtain-

‘-Huh?’

Outside the plastic, someone’s there.

I don’t know her, and I don’t know how she got here.

But her dream energy is nuts, that’s usually how I can tell pronouns and etc…

The only thing I do know, is that there’s a fire crackling barely under her skin, a pale-blue-

I wonder if she’s aware of it.

She probably is-

“Hey!”

I wave-

I realize she can’t hear me, and rush to the back way-

“Um. . .hello?”

She turns-

“Are you-?”

Wide-eyed.

‘What-’

“. . . . . What’s this place-”

“I live here?”

‘-No, silly, she doesn’t know what it’s called-’

“-I mean, it’s the Dream World…”

“-Really?”

She seems to brighten up a bit-

“Is it. . .safe?”

“Yes…?”

‘Should I be concerned-?’

“Nobody’s looking for me-”

“. . .Who are you worried about exactly-?”

“No one…”

She exhales.

“It’s just…”

Her hands spark-

She stares at them like she’s only now noticed they’re hers.

“I had to get away…from somewhere-”

“...”

….I should probably be concerned.

  
  


“What’s your name?”

“Alice…”

She’s in pajamas, a sweatshirt, and her hair’s been clearly hacked short recently.

“How did you...there’s only ever been one human who’s physically made it here”.

“Really?”

“Yes-”

I pour a glass of water.

“Thanks…”

“. . . .You’re welcome…”

I debate alerting the cook that someone’s...hanging out?

I don’t want to scare her away-

Aside from the strange expression I briefly saw, she hasn’t acted afraid of me, once.

“My name is Envy-”

“Cool”.

I smile-

“I wanted to come here really bad”.

I blink.

“Does this mean you’re asleep on Earth?”

“I don’t know...I hope not, I wouldn’t want to worry anyone”.

She takes a drink.

“I might go back tomorrow...it’s. . .alright not to do things even if people are nice to you, right?”

-I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“Yeah”.

“......That’s good…”

She yawns-

“Oh-sorry-I didn’t sleep-”

“It’s fine”.

I watch her glance at every plant-

“Did you grow all these?”

“Yes”.

“...They’re pretty”.

“Thanks”.

She takes another sip.

“...I feel kind-of bad. Today’s my birthday-”

“Happy birthday”.

“Thank you-”

She taps the table. . .

“I’ll probably have to go back earlier”.

“You can always return here”.

“Really?”

“You seem nice…”

“Okay”.

  
  


She drains the glass.

“Thank you!”

“Bye”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's two.


	8. The Trails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A third power is about to be revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Body horror. Darkness.

Dec. 9th, 2020, Weds. 

  
  


Can I really do it?

It’s not  _ supposed  _ to be difficult. . .

But I’m scared anyway.

I have weird luck.

I won’t deny that….

I keep my eyes closed. . .

What does it even feel like?

-An extension of myself?

Well. . .

I grasp for it-

Anything?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Faintly. . .

Here goes nothing.

  
  


I open my eyes.

Dark, foggy, murk.

I’m horrified-

‘The heck is this!?’

I falter for something recognizable-

‘Where-what-!??’

I feel like I’m reeling.

‘-This can’t be right.

There’s  _ no  _ way!’

It can’t be  _ this  _ dark-

I look for light-

If there’s no light-!!

‘W-What am I gonna do-’

I’m fumbling blindly out here---

‘What am I gonna do-’

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Is...s-someone s-staring at m-me-

.

  
  
  


.

  
  
  


.

  
  
  


.

  
  
  


.

  
  
  


.

  
  
  
  


Gradually, I become aware of...glowing...flickers?

Peach, in color. . .

‘What…?’

-I’m curious, but at least they exist.

Because my power tends to not work when I’m stressed-

...Now that I think about it, I may need a little help getting back.

  
  


Uh…

I follow them-

  
  


-I step out in knee-deep snow.

‘. . .Oh dear’.

That’s  _ cold- _

I can hear the scrapes of shovels in front of every house.

‘...Just keep moving’.

Just keep moving-

I can’t see the moon.

Just keep moving. . .

It helps that there are headlights…

Wait.

**Cars.**

I shiver, and stay  _ well  _ away from the road.

  
  


It’s like fireflies-

The tiny embers return…

I lock onto them, admittedly, I may have a problem.

They’re reassuring, that’s all.

I pick up on a faint, peachy smell-

Unless someone has super-strong perfume, I’m wondering if it’s-

I turn a corner, and find a nondescript building.

Smooth, white paint, though tinted gray in this climate…

-I lift my hand to knock…

And that’s when I crunch on something.

I kneel down-

…

It’s a translucent vine.

Baby nectarines glimmer upon it-

I lift it up.

Snow dusting gusts to the ground.

Footprints.

I wind the plant into a coil around my arm as I go.

Someone’s been traveling.

I have a bad feeling. . .

The sounds of the town fade.

Even the lights eventually dim, although if I glance over my shoulder, I can spot an ocean of red-and-gold-and-white, blue neon upon the horizon.

It’s beautiful. . .

An open road.

‘What the-’

I duck under an archway-

‘Why the heck-?’

Did they just…

I climb up a giant hill.

The slicked gravel tumbles under my feet-

I nearly slip-

“-!!”

I windmill, once, but I narrowly hang on.

‘. . . . . . .’

No words describe.

Anything. . .

  
  


I reach the top.

The mouth of a cave, gleams. . .

To one side, a neat parking lot.

To the other, some woods-

I peer in.

I can barely tell that it’s more than a void in the rock.

-I don’t want to go in there, in short-

I back away.

I shift the vine tighter.

Did they just….not ever leave?

***

Are they hurt?

Did they lose control-

That would make a third case…

(Though really. . .it’s fourth).

  
  


I try to track what remains.

The smell is getting stronger-closer.

….. _ Are  _ they actually still here?

I  _ really  _ don’t want to go in there. . .

But it’s looking like I’m going to have to…

  
I reluctantly step inside.

It is as difficult to see as I knew it would be-

I grip the vine harder.

No sound.

Except my own footfalls. . .

‘I can’t believe this. . .’

What kind of dark labyrinth is this?

I didn’t know corners could  _ have  _ this many corners-

I bump into a hard shape.

‘Huh-?’

I touch it-

Petrified wood.

The vine winds up the bark, and scrolls along the ceiling.

It lights up.

‘-!??’

Two indents, a nose, and a mouth.

I stumble backwards, shocked-!!

‘What-how-!?’

This goes _ completely _ beyond the others-

I rush out into the snow.

No one. . .

‘Where did they go-!?’

I rush back in.

I have to at least try-

I reach into my jacket.

Yes, I made more potions.

I had a feeling they’d come in handy.

I uncap one, and pour it over the faint indentation of a mouth.

Green streams pour down to the rock floor.

…

I’m not expecting something to happen right away...it’s a...mutation?

Not the usual slip or scrape.

I head out again.

I have no more leads, but there must be  _ some  _ trace still left here.

I scan the ground for footprints.

They could have left more vines behind-

-A disjointed string, leading  _ straight  _ for the parking lot-

. . .

That’s the end of that trail……..

  
  


I kneel down at the spot.

I’m assuming they made it to town unscathed?

I try to feel for a trace, but…

No……….

No, it’s too late this night.

I’ll have to re-visit, tomorrow.

I stand up.

‘Well. . .that’s disappointing’.

I guess it happens….

Uh…

‘-Okay, how do I get home?’

Put my soul into my body-

I close my eyes, and I concentrate.

‘Wake up-’

Find the...Dream World?

I don’t. . .know what I’m doing-

If I used a trace to return to. . .

My father should still be awake, right?

It  _ was  _ his idea. . .

And he’s the most experienced with it, it shouldn’t be such a surprise if I suddenly appear right next to him-

I grasp for something, a second time.

Please work. . .

  
  


I struggle to take a hold of the looming emptiness.

The sheer  _ weight  _ of it is enough to give me pause…

‘Come on-’

-I finally haul myself in-

‘Oh I hate it’.

. . . .It’ll be over quick, I reassure myself-

-Of course...I have no idea what his trace looks like.

I’ve never seen him use magic ever.

I’d imagine it’d be a combination of his three sons’ powers-

So. . .

Green, orange, and pink?

Another color I don’t know about?

-I’ll just search for a dark rainbow and go with that.

  
  


I flounder around…

-Did I mention how much I hate it?

I think I did-

I spot a flash of amber, shrouded in black.

. . .?

I mean, it would fit Claymore…

I squint to zero in on it better.

Looks  _ slightly  _ pinkish-

I reach out.

A strange tingling at my fingertips.

Is this it?

I come closer. . .

I open my eyes.

In someone’s bedroom.

-Actually, it’s more a wooden attic, but it still counts in my book…

-It  _ kinda  _ looks like  _ his  _ room, anyway. . .

I wander, not wanting to handle anything, but needing to know-

There’s a stack of notebooks under the mattress frame.

A plastic bird is on the table.

. . . . . .

Okay, so how do I leave fast-?

  
  


‘Back up, back up-’

I close my eyes-

Someone’s coming up the stairs, darn it-

“Who are  _ you!??” _

“I-I can explain-!!”

I open them just in time for an odd warmth to creep over me-

“Wait-stop-!!”

I outstretch an arm-

My heart turns heavy in my chest...no. . .all of me is-

“It’s-not-what-”

I can’t--talk---

I can’t-I can’t move-

‘What’s-happening-’

My fingers, ears, and toes feel as if they’re lengthening.

I can’t-look away-

The sensation fades, and I-

Pass out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Almost-Christmas Eve!


	9. Rooted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, magic-user.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Nothing, I think? Just some drinking. Non-alcohol.

Dec. 10th, 2020, Thurs. 

  
  


-I’m awoken by the most spectacular commotion outside.

-Oh, those are just. . .birds-

Geese.

Yeah.

They do that.

. . .

Where am I?

  
  


I can barely tell what’s what in here.

I spy a couple drapes in the far corner-

Wha-?

I can’t-walk over there.

It’s not like I can’t summon up the nerve, I just...can’t.

I can’t even look down to see what the matter is-

‘What’s going on-’

I vaguely remember yesterday-

‘I was...looking for someone-’ 

And then-

  
  


-Noise.

I jump-

My heart does.

It hurts-

‘Ow-’

Padding.

“-I didn’t dream it-”

‘-Who’s this?’

I struggle to crane my neck-

‘Why is it so hard-!?’

Someone’s _head_ appears in my view.

-I recognize them--!

Long, straight, black hair, peach-colored eyes, and ghostly-pale.

‘Tama-?’

-Wait.

Why didn’t I say that out loud?

‘Hey-’

Nor that?

‘-Can you hear me?’

They grimace, and turn a bluish cast.

They knock on my collar-

“Not again. . .”

‘Not again?’

They place both hands on my shoulders.

“-Why are you so tall-!??”

‘-That’s what everyone always asks’.

I’m only 7 ft. 5-

‘Can you hear me? Tama-’

“...”

They focus.

Their hands glow-

My _veins_ warm.

It’s deceptively a pleasant sensation. . .

‘What are you doing?’

...They can’t hear me, can they?

“. . .”

They try at...whatever they’re attempting for a little bit longer, before they finally quit.

Sweat beads on their brow. . .they’re breathing heavily.

“Fudge-cru-uh, Thursday-”

‘. . . . . .’

They sit.

With a thump.

“...Darn it. Why’d you have to show up like a creeper-”

‘...A creeper’.

As right as they are…

It _stings._

‘I don’t mean to be-’

I just have epically bad timing.

‘What did they do to me?’

I’m trying to remember what else-

“Ughhh…”

“-Tama, you’ll be late for school-”

“Coming, mom-”

‘No, wait, don’t go-!’

What am I supposed to do-

‘What happened to me!?’

“Ahhhh-”

They race around their room in a hurricane-like blurr, throwing supplies into a floppy backpack, and hastily shoving on their shoes.

“SorryI’llbehomelater-”

  
  
  


And they’re gone.

*

‘Wait, no, no, come back-!!’

I’m yelling _in_ nothing, _to_ nothing.

_‘TAMA!!’_

  
  


…

  
  


‘This is _not_ good-’

I can’t even feel my own power!

I can’t be _stuck-_

I try to connect with the Dream World.

‘I have to get home-they’ll worry-’

-What is my _body_ like back there!?

If I didn’t just phase out of the Guest Room entirely-

‘....Anyone there!?’

I would be _shaking,_ if I could.

  
  


I remember what I saw in the cave.

‘. . .Don’t tell me-!!!’

  
  


I’ve been turned into a tree!???

***

“-Sorry-!”

x2. . .

They run up into their room, and drop their backpack on the bed.

‘. . .Can you hear me’.

“I didn’t realize you were the Dark Elf guy”.

‘...That’s better than a creep’.

I watch them grow the same type of vine I used to find the first victim of…

‘That’s. . .that’s gotta be their power…’

Morphing people into trees.

‘The one in the cave is probably also still alive, too’.

  
  


We’ve went from deadly spikes and mind-bending memories to a fate worse than death.

  
  


‘What did the last two develop then?’

  
  


It’s all but _confirmed_ by now, that they also, will have extraordinary magical abilities-

  
  


‘More important than ever for no one else to find out’.

I tried to sleep through the entire day.

It felt like I’d been changed into an unmoving doll.

Still does.

Amazing what you can suddenly realize you’re afraid of-

The thought makes me shudder.

But it’s in my mind.

-That makes it flutter, and I don’t like that-

“Man. . .if I could talk to you-I’d probably be able to fix it”.

‘If I could _only_ talk to you…’

My eyes ache from staring in one direction without blinking.

‘. . .Perhaps when you’re asleep…’

I could try to speak in your dreams.

*

They do homework for a while, math problems.

Then they go downstairs for dinner-

Then they marathon _something_ on a screen-

It’s loud enough to drift up here.

…

Then it’s lights out.

‘Okay…’

Here goes.

. . .

‘Concentrate….’

-I _really_ wish I could close my eyes.

It’d make it a lot easier. . . .

The phasing-over is new, though.

-But that takes hours.

And by the end of it, I’m so exhausted, I’ll be surprised if I don’t fall into unconsciousness or something as soon as I get there.

  
  
  


‘Tama-’

“Tama! Can you hear me now-?”

-They about fall flat-

“Who-What-”

“Wait, it’s okay...it’s me-”

Their dream is brighter than real life…

Not an inch of snow, anywhere.

It’s warmer-

Nectarine vines run free.

Either I’m in a memory, or they just really like oranges.

“You’re not gonna turn me into a tree again, are you?”

I keep my tone even, but-

“No…”

I exhale.

“Okay, good”.

And now-

“Can I ask what happened at the Cave, or-?”

“You were up there?”

They suddenly seem to be anxious-

“I only saw the aftermath...it was before I found you”.

“-You didn’t...do anything to them, did you?”

“What do you mean?”

They rub their arms, as if suddenly cold-

“That girl was so nice...but she wanted to leave me behind in there”.

-It takes me a moment to process.

“What?”

“I don’t know why. . .”

Tama frustratedly blows hair out of their eyes.

“Don’t ask me-”

. . . . . .Unsettling.

“.......It might be too late to do nothing-”

“-Huh!? What did you do?”

“I poured healing concoction onto the…’tree’”.

“......................................................................”

-If I’d known then, what I know now, maybe I wouldn’t have done it.

That’s just too weird…

“I’m not sure if it had an effect or not…”

“I’m not going back there by myself tomorrow”.

“Fair…”

I sigh.

‘Doesn’t it figure…?’

“I’d refrain from making any more...sudden wildlife, however”.

“I don’t know how to control it. . .it just happens-”

“Both instances, wasn’t it fear? It saved you once, and it would have saved you again, if I were someone else…”

“...”

“Magic is usually tied to emotion.

If you’re relaxed, people hopefully won’t be getting stuck anymore”.

“-What if they get upset at me, after I’m done?”

The plants ripple-

“I think the fact you even _have_ powers will be the bigger distractor”.

“-You’d better be right…”

The orange sun in the air dims.

“Because I don’t want someone like _her_ continuing to try to kill me”.

“. . .That’s understandable. But you’re not facing her alone right now-”

“You’re a _tree”._

“....I was hoping I wouldn’t be one for much longer, now that we’ve had this talk-”

“How are you even doing that?”

“Dream contact-It’s the only way I can talk to you-when you wake up, the connection will be severed”.

“Is that why you look so stiff?”

“. . .”

I am?

  
  


. . .I can’t look down to tell for certain-

“...Am I?”

“You look like somebody shoved an iron rod up your spine”.

-I wince at the imagery.

“If you say so-”

They shrug.

“You said you had a potion-”

“I have more-”

“Would it work if I gave it to you now, or-?”

“You’ll have to take it out of my pocket yourself. . .”

...They tentatively step closer.

“Which one?”

-Right.

“The left”.

-They hesitantly reach their hand inside.

“-Why do you have so many-”

“Let’s just say, I know some people who’d accidentally break them by now”.

. . .

They have the bottle.

They stare at me with an ‘I’m-not-pouring-this-into-your-mouth’ look.

-Which I don’t blame them for…

They curl their free hand around my arm, instead.

They inhale-

Something creeps over it.

A new vine, like the one that led me to the cave.

It doesn’t feel the same as that strange warmth.

The rigidness of my muscles in the limb calms. . .

My hand twitches.

I test my fingers’ range of motion-

I grimace at the five cracks.

‘Ouch-’

  
  


As soon as I drink it, I feel _much_ better-

“Thank you-”

“For the record, I have no idea what I just did”.

“That’s alright. . . .”

Time is growing short.

I know it-

“It may or may not work instantly considering how I’ve properly ingested it”.

“-You talk like a college professor”.

“-What-”

“.....Hope it does its job”.

“Me too”.

The fuzziness is closing in.

“Have a good day at school-or wherever-”

-They say something back, but I don’t catch it.

*

Half of me transformed to normal.

My legs are still rooted to the floor-

I sit, even though it’s uncomfortable.

-It _cannot_ be worse than standing immovably still.

I see dawn rising outside, through the drapes-

They’d blinked at me after they woke up for .2 seconds, walked past me to use the bathroom, and then came back...and then stared at me some more, and then crawled back into bed, and fell asleep in .2 seconds.

. . .

‘. . .Sweet dreams….’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve!


	10. Tama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to recover from being turned into a tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Drink/stuff. Fear of the dark. Brief police mention.

Dec. 11th, 2020, Fri. 

  
  


I shiver.

I’ve never felt like half of me is  _ dead  _ before.

It’s like my lower half was turned to stone-

But I know it’s not, and it isn’t, and it’s  _ fine- _

Or it will be.

Soon.

“See you later again”.

“Bye-”

They run out, and I exhale.

‘I can’t believe I missed being able to talk’.

Half the time, I’m too afraid to-

I roll my shoulders, and rotate the kinks from my neck.

I can hear snow melting in drips-

Just a little.

The temperature must have mellowed slightly.

‘I don’t think it’ll last. . .’

Only two weeks into December, after all-

‘But two weeks left until Christmas-!!’

I shudder, suddenly afraid.

‘I still haven’t found Aiden or Ichigo yet-’

Or the shadow that got away.

Maybe Abby will run into them.

Scary thought. . . .

‘Still don’t know what’s befallen the Cave Tree’.

I feel my eyes glazing over-

Still need  _ sleep- _

But I can’t do it…

If I manage to dream myself _back_ into a tree, I will  _ scream- _

‘In the end, with Tama, I got ridiculously lucky’.

***

I haven’t been here in ages.

It’s dark, and it’s cavern-like, but I’m not too weirded out…

I know it’s just the trees covering.

I know the sun’s out there somewhere, so nothing can break in here, and get me.

I walk up to an edge.

The adults are talking inside, and I-----don’t like to be around people.

I couldn’t even go to school-

I’d just hide somewhere in the house until they gave up on the idea.

(-You know, funnily enough, I know  _ every  _ nook-)

I don’t even like to show them my  _ face. _

I blush, and everyone can read me like a  _ book. _

I’m no good at words, and  _ somehow,  _ they always get into my stuff-

I’d just rather be  _ alone. _

  
  


The stairs are pretty, though.

I’ve always liked green.

Uhh. . .jade-green.

Yeah, that’s what this is-

I’m probably not supposed to be down here on my own, but it’s quiet, and I like quiet.

I take a couple steps-

It crumbles under me.

I’m falling into  _ nothing- _

Soon enough, I smack into the dirt.

“Ow. . .”

I look up.

-How-did that-get so far away. . .

I get up-

My long sleeves are caked with dust.

Mom will worry-

I fix my collar over my nose.

I seem to be relatively unhurt-

‘Phew’.

The pitch-blackness here is even darker than night.

I shiver-

I can’t find the rest of the stairs.

I walk, but my ankle caves-

I land flat on my nose.

“-!!”

I can’t move it-

‘. . . Uhm’.

I summon vines-

They’re really tiny.

‘What’.

Hmph.

I try again-

. . .

‘W-What’s...that…’

I can  _ swear  _ I see them.

_ Eyes. _

‘What’s that-’

Everywhere.

‘. . . .H-H-Huh-. . . . .’

My vines hide into the earth on me-

“N-no-! C-C-Come back-”

-At the sound of my voice, the eyes get  _ bigger. _

**_“MOOOOOOMMMM!!!!”_ **

*

-I wake up in a cold sweat-

‘Ohhh dear….’

Red vines have utterly  _ wrecked  _ Tama’s room.

  
  


‘I didn’t mean to do it. . .maybe they won’t be angry-’

I’m still shaking.

I wrap my arms around me-

I was  _ four  _ when that happened, darn it!!

Why’d it rear its unpleasant head now.

-I run my hand through my pocket until I have another bottle.

Might need another dose-

I un-cork it with wavering fingers, and down it until I feel something.

*

“Wha-I-Whaaat-”

Their eyes have nearly popped out of their head-

“Um...do I want to know-”

“-Just bad dreams-”

I stand.

My legs are no longer in the shape of tree roots.

“How was the Cave Person”.

“Shrunken”.

“. . .Meaning-”

“They were rasping like the Gremlin from the King of the Bracelets or whatever, and I had to shove them into my backpack-”

“Wh-”

Pretty sure that’s the wrong film-

‘They did what-’

They unzip their carrier, and yank loose a. . .shreeing, dried hobbit (if we want to continue the references-).

“Who-”

“A classmate of mine”.

“I’m-”

I should be horrified, but this is just  _ bizarre. _

“You have any other containers of green stuff?”

“Sure. . .”

  
  


They stop for a second when they see what we have, glaring with pearl-bloodshot eyes.

Then they open their mouth as wide as they can get it and  _ screech- _

Our hair goes flying back from our faces, and Tama dumps the entire contents down the exposed throat.

“Haaaaah-”

They breathe in relief while the...person...hiccups.

Green bubbles.

‘No, I am  _ not  _ dreaming this’.

I resist the urge to pinch myself to make sure-

“How long until they, uh. . .de-morph?”

“It was instantaneous, for me-”

And soon enough-

The bark covering fades from their skin, their limbs shed leaves and extra branches, and they keel over from their hissing perch onto the floor with a thump.

“. . .You said you knew this...classmate?”

“-I’d sic the authorities, but there’s no proof on her now-just on me”.

  
  


-I swear, these people crawl from the woodwork to make life harder than it has to be.

First, that woman, then Aubrey and the doll, and now. . .

Whomever that was.

Is.

“My dad says not to worry.

That ‘Grandma will take care of it’”.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. . .but Grandma’s...a lil’ in space, half the time-”

“You never know…”

So’s Cocoa, and he uses  _ bombs. _

“Well...I may be back-”

“Don’t startle me next time”.

“I’ll try not to-”

I blush-

“Er...goodbye-”

“Bye”.

I fade into the Dream World.

-If it’s easy, it means they’re on the Other End, and they’re  _ worried. _

*

“Your body turned into a tree and then you wouldn’t wake up-” 

‘Mom. . .’

“Yeah. . . .someone was having power incontinence-”

I sit, and rub my aching back-

I hadn’t moved from one position in too long.

“I’m fine…”

“You must be a trouble magnet”, my father partially-jokes.

‘-What if I am?’

That would be **_awful-_**

‘They don’t deserve such stress-’

“-So can we go with you?” I hear Cocoa from the doorway.

“Yeah man, you’re out here risking your life on your own for some reason-”

Claymore, too?

“. . . . .”

I would prefer not to put  _ them  _ in the line of fire...but. . .

“You both might get trapped into whatever’s next as well if you come with me-”

“Or one of us could escape and save the other two”, Cocoa counters.

“. . .True-”

“Three heads  _ are  _ better than one”.

Claymore grins-

“. . . . .I’m not going to sleep for the next two weeks am I?”

Poor mom looks like she’s already resigned to the coffee machine.

“We’ll...uh, we’ll keep you posted. . .?”

I pat her on the shoulder-

“Please don’t worry-”

. . . . . .She sighs.

*

“-Hey. Check it out!”

Cocoa nods to the window.

We’re downstairs now, relaxing I. . .guess…

“Look at that”.

I’m still not sure how I’m going to explain any or all of this to them. . . .

I’m not sure what they’ll think.

“What?”

“-Are they doing fireworks again?”

“-Fireworks?”

“Sometimes they show up over here”.

I move over a little so Claymore can see.

“Wh-no way. . .!!”

I lean outside, gripping the sill so I won’t fall and break my neck.

Blue spores.

Floating, peacefully in midair. . . . .

“What is that!?”

“Magic?”

Cocoa shrugs.

“It  _ is  _ Hanukkah in a world right now-”

‘A holiday. . .’

My blood  _ freezes. _

‘Whose power is that’.

It can’t be Abby’s, or M.R.’s, or Tama’s. . .

I’m on the fence about it being the Shadow’s.

It has nothing to do with the fire light coming off of Alice.

-It might not even be someone I’m aware of at all.

But the uncertainty, makes me  _ panic- _

‘I have to know’.

Because.

If it’s Aiden or the child-

‘How powerful are they!?’

-The abilities  _ have  _ been escalating, I saw proof-

‘I’m not confident enough in Hanukkah to know what’s even going on right now’.

  
  


A powerful wave of tiredness washes over me.

“G. . .guys-”

“What…”

Cocoa yawns.

-Claymore’s already snoring on the counter-

“Don’t...something’s. . .

Not. . .

Right……

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day before Christmas!


	11. Seeing Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What could possibly lurk in this atmosphere?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Blood/body horror.

Dec. 12th, 2020, Sat. 

  
  


. . . . ?

I wake up in an unfamiliar place-

Is it...still the house-?

It’s...darker, than I remember-

A bluish glow filters through everything.

I shiver-

“Cocoa?

Claymore?”

I don’t see them.

The window outside shows a bluish sky-

“Mom-”

“Father-”

He’d know what was happening, right?

He’s been at this the longest-

I try to leave the kitchen.

I hear a door open-

“Hello?”

I hear it close.

‘Huh-’

It’s the back door.

I pull on it-

It won’t move.

‘That’s weird. . .’

It locks on the inside, not-

I peek through the glass.

Nothing.

Another door opens.

It’s the Front-!?

I spin around-

But no one’s there.

“. . .”

I go over to that one.

I can’t move it either-

I look out.

No one’s there.

‘What the heck is this. . . .’

I can’t be alone-

It’s impossible.

I hear the greenhouse curtain rattle-

I swish it aside, but there’s still no one.

‘What is going on’.

I can’t understand it.

I’ve never tripped in my life-

A blaze of color catches my attention:

It’s under my feet??

Green.

‘Wha-’

I lift up my foot, and step back.

I leave another green print.

“...”

-Why haven’t I looked at the floor-

  
  


A mess of footsteps.

Of course, we were all in the house at one point. . . . .

Red, pink, orange, and black.

I follow the second set to Cocoa’s room-

“Yeah?”

I swallow a shout-

For some reason, he’s bleeding from his eyes and mouth!?

“Uuuum-”

“Yeah?”

“Are…..y...ou okay-”

“Yeah?”

‘. . . .Anything else other than, ‘yeah’-?’

“You, uh...you might want to look in the Mirror-”

“Eh? Why?”

“Just. . .thought it’d be a good idea”, I cough-

He shrugs-

He leaves for a couple minutes.

When he comes back-

“I don’t see anything”.

“-Your face is gone?”

“-No, no. I mean, I look fine?”

-Now he looks concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh-yeah-”

‘What’s he talking about?’

“I’m okay-”

“Okay”.

“Okay-”

‘-Time to bail-’

“Just checking-h-have a good night-!”

I attempt a smile, and nearly run into the wall as I’m leaving-

‘Smooth. . . _ real  _ smooth-’

  
  


I follow the red prints to the backyard-

I have to squish myself through the tiny window.

My elbows  _ really hate me- _

“-CLAYMORE!?”

“What-”

He has similar features to Cocoa, only his  _ teeth  _ are also missing.

-I should explain, he makes metal sculptures here-

His blow torch has unnatural black gas, and the unnaturally twisted. . . _ thing  _ he’s working on reminds me of fiery Medusa on...something.

At ground level, several more, snarling creatures crouch-

“. . . . .Are you okay?”

“I’m good-”

“......You sure?”

“I’m sure, that I’m good?”

“..............You sure?”

“You sure  _ you’re  _ good?”

“Yes-”

I consider offering the Mirror sight again, but he’s  _ surrounded  _ by shiny metal.

“I’ll-go now-”

“You  _ sure  _ you’re good?”

‘Positive. . . . ‘

I can’t be the only one hallucinating.

Right?

  
  


I follow the orange set.

They head upstairs.

I find another locked door-

I knock:

“Mom?”

“-In a minute-!”

I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I yelp-

“-? You’re awfully jumpy-”

“M-Mom-?”

I turn.

Surprise, surprise, she’s also got it.

Only there’s blood from her ears, too.

“Envy, you look so pale-!!”

“U-Uh. . .”

I gulp.

“A-Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. . .are you feeling sick? Was it being turned into a tree yesterday!?”

“N-no. . .”

I take a deep breath, and close my eyes.

I wait a few seconds, and then I open them.

-Nope, still there….

“Uh...w-where were you last?”

“The bathroom?”

-I almost laugh at the absurdity of the response.

“You didn’t. . .see anything weird in the Mirror, did you?”

“No? ….Do you need to lie down-”

She raises her hand.

Her nails are the size of claws-

“N-No! I mean. . .”

I back away.

“I’m good. I’m fine. W-Where’s father-”

“He went outside”.

-That explains that-

And Cocoa must have used the other door from earlier.

Or Claymore.

(But then, who’s in the Greenhouse-)

I shove away the creeping fear, and rush to the downstairs.

“Envy-”

  
  


I tinker with the lock using my vines until it finally snaps  _ off. _

I shove it open-

“Father?”

Blue mist.

If it weren’t for the horrific effects, it would almost be gorgeous out here.

“Are you there-”

Their house hangs in space, but there is some grass in-behind-

A floating patch of land, I don’t know how he managed it.

“Something weird is going on-”

I scan the emptiness in front of me.

He should be easy to spot if it’s like that-

“Everyone’s been warped-”

I run along the walkway.

“Father-!?”

I step onto the grass-

It’s been tinted blue.

‘Wh. . .what-’

“FATHER-!!”

I can’t tell where he is-!

“Are you out there!??”

There’s no wind.

The blades rustle.

That can’t be-

I bump into the clear plastic over the green house.

“Ow-”

Why did that hurt.

-Wait, where did those come from?

Random drops-

My blood isn’t red, but. . .

There’s nothing wrong with my reflection.

What could be…

More?

I touch my face….

‘What!?’

My teeth!

They’re bleeding. . .

‘But-But I don’t see-’

My eyes are wet.

My-tears-?

But-that’s not right...either-

‘I can’t see it...why can’t I see it-?’

Is this...how it was for them?

  
  


The door closes.

“Ah...that was a hard one to get rid of”.

My father stands in the doorway, completely fine.

“Oh. . .? Why do you three look so spooked?”

He goes over to the counter, it’s like none of us ever moved at all.

He pours himself a glass of something.

“…All I had to do was turn on the rain-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!


	12. Pardon For The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a long time ago, Christmas became dangerous-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Implied suicide, ways to commit. Mention drugging. Sharp objects. Stalking. Blood. Brief mention eating, spiders, dolls.

Dec. 13th, 2020, Sun. 

  
  


I’m amazed he can be so _nonchalant_ about it.

But he’s probably seen it all in the Dream World by now…

Haven’t sighted any more spores since then, and to be honest, I’m not complaining.

That. . .was an experience I _never, ever_ want to repeat.

-Ironically enough, it left me more exhausted even though we were all technically asleep.

‘Sigh…’

-I never did find out who was in the greenhouse that day.

‘Oh no-’

...Maybe they’re still in there?

I stand straight up.

-I whack my head off the ceiling-

“Careful”, father says nonchalantly, because I do this every other hour-

“What’s the hurry?” Cocoa asks.

“Forgot something-”

I whip back the curtain, and disappear inside before they can ask anymore.

I briefly feel bad-

‘I should tell...more. . .’

But I don’t know….

I let out a breath.

“Hello?”

. . .

…….It’s quiet-

I glance among the rows of plants.

Just because it _is_ quiet. . .

I glance over them.

I left a huge thicket of potted vegetation in the back-

Sometimes, being tall has an advantage.

“. . .Alice?”

I gently touch her shoulder-

“...?”

-People can actually sleep on the floor.

“What-”

“Alice, it’s me-”

“-Oh hi-”

She sits up sluggishly, stretching her arms.

“What are you doing in here?”

I help her stand.

“Hanging out”.

She rubs at her eyelids-

“. . .I got sleepy-”

“Yeah...spore problem”.

I strain my ears.

The rain is still falling-

He must’ve really wanted to be sure.

…...I never can tell what’s in his head, he seemed to be pretty unbothered yesterday-

But. . .

“You...didn’t happen to see anyone, did you?”

“No”.

I let out an unconscious sigh of relief.

“It was. . .like a horror film...so-”

“I’m glad I missed it”.

I almost smile at the frankness.

“Well it’s nice to hear from you again-”

“...Thanks…”

She pulls at her sleeves.

“Um. . . .”

“Huh?”

I notice her eyes are red-

“......If you met this nice lady, what would you do?”

“Depends on what she did back”.

-That makes her smile, a little-

“What if she was beautiful?”

“...What is she doing?”

-For some reason, she looks consternated.

“Keeping people in her house?”

-I snap the handle off the teapot and she _jumps._

“-Sorry…”

She nods-

“Why is she keeping people in her house?”

“She fell in love with this guy I happen to know-”

“Oh. . .”

That figures-

“Clearly, you got out-”

“No, I didn’t...nobody’s inclined to go anywhere because she’s nice to them.

Even though all the doors and windows are locked”.

“. . . . How can they ignore that?”

“True love is hard to come by”.

“...”

I think I’d rather be alone.

“I guess it’s painful to live without it…”

“And you?”

“-I broke my own window open. I thought for sure I was gonna be caught-”

“But you weren’t?”

“No. . .”

She sighs.

“She doesn’t pay attention to people who follow her rules…..”

I’m liking her less and less.

“-You don’t think I’m crazy?”

“No”.

“. . . .Are you sure?”

“Yes”.

She swallows-

“Are you sure….that first time, I just wanted to see if I could get here. . .uh, but-”

She rubs her arm.

“Yesterday, I…”

She grins, and there’s nothing happy about it.

“Jumped.....out my window...to..........d-"

-I drop the entire pot.

Scented water flies _everywhere-_

“But I never hit the ground. . .I just...fell in the grass”.

-I can’t process it.

“And then I went in, because I was tired, and then I fell asleep….everyone will have probably woken up by now wondering where the heck I went-”

She coughs-

“I mean-I know where all the knives are, but I’m-too squeamish about cutting, the light’s too low to hang from-”

“No one noticed at all!??”

“. . .”

…………….

“No. I don’t dare let them. They love it. Well. . .they don’t love it-”

She takes a _deep_ breath-

“They’ve just...accepted that escape will never work, she’ll always haunt us-or so they say. . . .”

“......”

I….almost don’t know _what_ to say.

‘If I were in her shoes, I would’ve tried to strangle her’.

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume I could die out the gate.

Worst-case. . . . . .

“My family doesn’t know….I’d rather not let them know. . . .they couldn’t do a thing about it anyway…...if they did, it’d just cause all my _friends_ to die because I wouldn’t be able to talk to them again”.

-My mind flashes to being told that Aiden moved away…

After something similar, it’s highly unlikely _her_ friends will ever see her again, either.

It’s not an illegitimate concern.

“And besides. . .I _was_ the one who never wanted to die when I met them...and now. . .they’re feeling better, and-”

. . .

“Is...Is the world really not made for someone like me?”

I want to throw up.

‘My God. Seriously?’

My vines tremble as I direct them to lift the shattered pieces from the ground-

“Who said that? That’s not true. I don’t believe that for one minute”.

“Nobody did. . .but…….I’ve been around a few years-”

“The way you’ve lived up to that point can’t be wrong. Or you would’ve. . .felt like that before, right?”

“Uh-huh…..”

“Then it _is_ made for someone like you. You even got the window open, right? You could have left”.

“But I couldn’t have left them-”

“You wouldn’t have. You just would’ve been able to get someone to evenly match her”.

“. . . . . What if there isn’t supposed to be anyone?”

“There’s always someone. Always. If people stayed trapped in nightmares like that all the time, no one would ever dream...but people still do. . .so it can’t be hopeless.

It’s not wrong to have a different version of someone else’s hope”.

“. . .Even if they get mad at me?”

“If they get upset because of that...is it worth staying for? It’s _your_ life on the line, not theirs”.

“......Right. . . . . . “

-I catch her swiping at her eyes.

“Who’s this woman? For curiosity’s sake”.

“Um. . .”

Her voice is cracking-

I can tell.

“She’s like. . .she’s gotten her hair permed or bleached or dyed so much it’s this weird light-orange color-”

-Not ringing a bell. . .

“She talks like that Rabbit’s Wife in the cartoon”.

“. . .”

Still not ringing a bell. . .

“I can’t forget her name, though….”

She shudders.

“Honoria. . .Honeyson, or something-”

-She doesn’t fit it at all.

“If she ever shows up, I’ll know to watch out”.

“I don’t think she will. . .”

Alice knocks briefly on a tree trunk.

“She just thinks I like to oversleep”.

“. . .”

“. . . . And then she said my haircut looked nice”.

-That’s. . .not great-

“I don’t really want to...spend another day there. . . .but I probably should-”

“.......”

“I’m just scared of what will happen if I tell her I want to leave-”

“. . . .What do you think she’ll do?”

“I don’t know. No one’s ever tried”.

“. . .”

I finish soaking up the liquid with a cloth-

“I wouldn’t be 100-percent certain whether or not she was lying to my face, if she told me ‘yes’-”

“. . . I’ve heard people can surprise you-”

“Yeah, but people who do what she did...care, but _don’t_ care, right?”

“That’s what I’ve noticed-”

That’s what the three of us were warned against ever since we were old enough to walk.

“But. . .”

She can’t seem to look at me.

“Is it. . .a problem I can’t get any closer to her?”

“No. She’s not letting you out”.

“-She tried to put stuff in our drinks-”

“She did what-”

“She did”.

Alice pokes at the broken handle.

“She did that, and when I didn’t drink it, she acted hurt”.

-Did I mention I was liking her less and less?

“I wanted to go home, but my phone wouldn’t work…”

‘I would want to go home too’.

“They keep talking like they want to try to make her be good, but I don’t think I’d have the strength for that at all”.

“They’re welcome to try, I suppose. . . . .”

I pull a drawer open, looking for the biodegradable glue-

“-What if they leave me or break because I won’t trust her even if they _do_ manage that?”

“.....Alice. . . . .”

I can’t help but wonder if this has come up before.

“If they leave...then they leave. It’d be worrying if others’ reactions could be controlled. . .and if they don’t want to respect that you don’t want to forgive her, then you don’t have to stay. 

You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, just because someone else said so”.

“. . .Even if I still want to be their friend?”

“....Do you?”

“.........I just...I feel like they need me-”

“If they need you, they need to respect you, too”.

“...”

She leaves the broken handle-piece alone.

“How come you’re so level-headed?”

“I don’t know….”

‘There-’

I try to unscrew the tiny cap.

‘Do not drop it-’

“I am mostly a plant. They’re very down to earth”.

She laughs slightly.

-But it’s short-lived.

“. . . .You don’t think it’s a bad thing that I don’t act like them?”

“I think if you did. . .you wouldn’t realize what she was doing is...wrong, really, there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

And if they do know that, and still don’t want to act even if you’ve tried to tell them how much better it would be on the outside-made a whole list….

Everyone’s got their own baggage, I’m aware, and if it makes them happy, then. . . .it makes them happy.

But that doesn’t mean _you_ have to be happy if you have other reasons you want to leave it.

A gilded cage is just a fancier cage”.

.

.

.

  
  


‘Uhhh oh, what did I do-’

She’s crying-

‘-Where did I put the tissues-!??’

I abandon the gluing for a moment, and scour the rest of the drawers-

“H-Hold on there, Alice-”

‘I _know_ I had them-!’

I nearly smack myself in the face with a bag-

‘Ughhh this is embarrassing-’

-Where are all my labels!?

That is Monday’s job-

I practically toss the box onto the floor, but I found it-

“Tissue?”

“. . . .”

‘. . . .This is awkward-why-did I just injure the mood-’

“Thank you….”

She takes one.

She blows her nose for a couple minutes-

“Haha. . . .talking makes it real-”

“Yeah. . . .”

I hesitantly reach out to rub her back?

…..I…..don’t know-

“. . . .Maybe….Maybe I’ll leave, tomorrow-”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. . . .or maybe-”

She huffs.

“Maybe I’ll do it now. . . . .”

I can’t quite read what’s behind her eyes.

-That is to say, she can shutter up her emotions pretty well-

“.....What if I don’t have energy for the letter, you know? I can’t wait-anymore-”

“W-Wait-?”

Did I hear that right-!?

“I’m gonna tell her-”

“. . . .”

(-Excuse me while I breathe a sigh of relief-)

“Good luck”.

“Thanks…”

She smiles for real.

. . .

‘What...was that-’

“I’ll definitely be back...you’re a good listener”.

“...............”

I can’t talk-say-something-

“Thank you”.

“Uh-Alice-”

-I thought she was going to just disappear, and I was going to be _so_ angry with myself-

“. . . .If she gives you any trouble, you can call for me…..”

“.......You can do that?”

“Yeah…..I live in the Dream World. . . .”

‘I wouldn’t want to cause mom another heart attack, buuuut-’

“And if you ever feel like... _that,_ if it shows itself….you can call me for that, too”.

-She looks like she’ll cry a second time…

“Thanks-”

  
  


. . . . . . . . .We might be here a bit longer.

***

I really do wish her the best of luck.

It takes a lot of courage to do something like that.

I ended up making tea for myself.

My own nerves are shot, just knowing-

That someone could get away with such an audacious act.

It’s as if I’m seeing what could have happened to those five all the way at the start.

If I hadn’t-

The fact that. . .

…

I wonder how in the world she trusts me with such knowledge.

-Come to think of it, didn’t Abby’s father mention that I looked familiar?

‘How did she even know the Dream World existed to begin with?’

Something doesn’t add up, because I am very sure I had never seen her before she suddenly appeared in the Yard.

‘Should I tell them-?’

No.

It’s just baseless suspicions right now.

I need more proof, first.

I wouldn’t want to worry them for nothing.

Over nothing. . . .

Or is it?

I sit up straighter.

‘I wonder-’

What would happen if I looked myself up?

*

I-

…

_Cat collars!??_

‘That can’t be right-’

Cat collars. . . .

‘What the heck does ‘doogy’ mean!?’

I…’m embarrassed at the Internet.

 _Especially_ the Big G.

Dog collars…..

‘My goodness’.

  
  


This can’t be it.

This does _not_ tell me anything useful-

-Aside from the weirdness. . .of... _petwear(?)_ there’s a bunch of other stuff ranging from the emotion to a _wedding cake._

‘I _sorely_ regret this idea’.

I’m about to put the whole notion aside.

‘Who even puts their name in expecting anything incriminating, anyhow-’

**Oh.**

  
  


A news report from a year or so ago. . .

I remember this.

It was linked to-

  
  


It was **that** time-

The one M.R. almost glimpsed.

‘I wasn’t aware anyone had caught footage-’

Or _maybe_ someone had survived our initial encounter to bring it on the screen.

I feel the chlorophyll burning in my veins, it’s like things never ended the way they did back then.

*

It was a flower twined around another, only one black as night.

That should’ve been an immediate hint-

“Woah. . . .” Claymore was in awe-

“Ooh! I like it!” Cocoa’s eyes were nearly shining right out of his head.

A giant Christmas tree rose to the ceiling, with numerous colorful ornaments.

The star on top was so blinding, you had to cover your eyes to fully see it-

“... _Looks_ festive, but this is half-a-nightmare”, I reminded him, “Let’s not put our guards down-”

I stepped forward, and immediately fell into a box.

“Uh-please forget that happened-”

“What happened?” Claymore asked-

“I don’t know. I forgot already”, Cocoa responded.

He helped me up-

“*Ahem* thanks-”

I brushed off some silver glitter.

I could see him trying not to snicker behind me.

‘-Should have a ‘Presents’ warning’, I thought to myself-

The one I’d landed in had nothing but stuffing in it, however. . .

‘That’s odd…’

“-Hey!!”

Claymore pointed up ahead-

-I saw a shadow suddenly disappear.

“What the-?”

“Hello?”

Cocoa swung ahead-

“We’re friendly~”

“Cocoa wait-!!”

‘-He’s gone…’

I sighed.

“He _is_ like, ten”, Claymore shrugged.

“. . . . Yeah but mom’s gonna flip if he gets stuck here forever”.

I hurried up my pace.

“-Don’t leave me behind-!”

Fiery footsteps in my wake.

  
  


“Cocoa!?”

I ducked under several branches of silver tinsel, hoping in vain Claymore’s hair wouldn’t set any alight-

‘That would just figure wouldn’t it? Accidentally ruin Christmas by no fault of our own-’

“Slow down, will ya’?”

“-In a minute. I think we’re getting close”.

I swept aside a red-and-green striped curtain.

In a pile of stuffed animals, strung, golden lights on the wall, was a boy.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, the definition of angelic, if you really wanted one. . .

“Hello. . .” he said softly, “Have you seen my friend? I can’t find her anywhere, and I’m scared”.

“No...but we can try to find her”.

I knelt.

He took one look at me, and his eyes widened-

He burrowed his way underneath the big rabbit, and stayed there.

‘. . . ?’

“S-scary…..”

“What...me-?”

“-Er, did a pink-haired kid with a hat come flying this direction down Holiday Road?”

Claymore leaned in.

Bobble-headed, nervous nodding-

He poked a finger at a rip in the wall.

“Can you describe your friend to us?” I added in quickly-

“. . . . . . . .”

-He shrank further into the rabbits.

‘I’m not that creepy-looking, am I?’

I frowned-

“How are we gonna know who’s your friend?” Claymore repeated.

“-She likes a lot of blue”.

“‘Kay. Thanks, kid”.

A not-so-nervous nod.

-Since the rip was the only way out. . .

I took a quick glance behind me.

He stared back.

  
  


Everything turned aluminum here, with fake snow.

“-Hi guys. . .”

-He was draped on a silver cone, giant beads scattered all over the ground.

“Dare I ask?” I quipped.

“I saw something weird, and then I ran through the wall”.

“Oof”.

Claymore cringed-

“What’d you see?”

He helped him down.

“Some guy with a knife. He kinda looked disappointed when I flew in-”

‘Some guy with a knife?’

“We saw a little kid”, I told him.

“Eh?”

“Yeah, we did…”

Claymore chewed on his lip.

“Aight, that’s funny-”

“-We’ll keep an eye out”, I promised them.

“For now, let’s try to find the friend-”

“Aye, aye”, Cocoa salutes-

“-Haha”.

  
  


The farther we went, the holiday cheer started to change.

Stuffed reindeer.

Suspicious red stains on the noses, and bodies-

The golden Christmas lights were flickering.

I was beginning to hear a faint, musical box tone. . .

“Eesh. . .”

Claymore prodded one, and winced at the creak.

“Merry 25th, anyone?”

“-Ho ho ho, and a bottle of freaky antlers”, Cocoa deadpanned.

‘-I have no idea where he came up with that’.

I pushed away a hanging bulb-

If I didn’t know better, I’d say there were _hand prints_ on it.

A row of marshmallow snowmen.

Their grins were faint lines.

I had the eerie sensation those button eyes were _watching_ us-

“Can I announce to the Heavens that I hate it?” Claymore asked.

“-Aw, I think they’re cute”.

The both of us eyed Cocoa-

“What?”

What, indeed.

  
  


“Ugh-”

I suddenly clutched my head, feeling faint-

“This is the end of the line-”

The end of the dream.

As soon as he, himself got down here, he’d probably wake up-

“Yeah-”

“Oh, yup-”

A giant snow-globe.

Santa’s workshop, rendered in large miniature-

I found the ‘ON’ button:

Peach-colored lights flicked, and a tinny Christmas tune, played.

It almost matched the more sinister one lurking in the background-

 _Much_ less discordant.

‘Something’s not right’, I mused, ‘but what-’

“No sign of anyone”, Claymore remarked.

“Maybe the friend’s imaginary?” Cocoa posited.

“Hmm. . .”

I scanned the rest of the room:

Stray wrappings and ribbons draped over the floor….

There was some kind of weird ballerina doll in the corner, but I didn’t want to dwell on that…..

‘Could we have passed them already. . .’

I hadn’t seen any blue-

“I’ve never heard of tracking a dream trail within a dream, but. . .”

“You think it’ll work?”

Claymore was skeptical-

“If anything shows up blue, we’ll have our answer”.

“True. . .”

Cocoa nodded, then closed his eyes.

“-WOW, that’s powerful!”

I blinked.

“What-”

He shook his head slightly, blinking-

“Look-look for yourself--”

“...?”

-I had no idea what he was talking about, but-

I closed my eyes anyway.

_‘Woah-!’_

A bright-cerulean streak-

‘It’s so clear-’

“-All I can see is my stomach”.

‘Claymore-’

“I _told_ you there was trail mix in the fridge-”

“I was fine at the time-!”

‘-Are those two getting into it again?’

“It goes this way”.

I started ahead-

Several sparkly snowflakes weaved along the new path-

-A shadow loomed at me!?

I jumped, and knocked it down!!

“. . .It’s just a harlequin doll, dude-” Cocoa called out-

“.................................................Oh”.

I pressed my hands into my cheeks, though it’d do little good to curb the blush-

“Ah, the Scourge of Figurines is at it again-” Claymore ribbed-

“Does that make you the Scourge of Arachnids, then?”

“-They’re creepy, and spindly, and they make me want to cry, okay!?”

“. . . . . Even _I_ don’t go that far”.

“-Bet you would if you watched Ana-”

“-Cocoa! You’re not even an adult yet!!”

“What? It was free on Nettpix”.

“-How did you figure out the Password?”

“Hey, at least it wasn’t Password. . .and I talked Claymore into it”.

“Ack-! Don’t bring _me_ into this-!!”

I sighed.

“We’ll have to continue this later”.

“Let’s hope he forgets”, I heard him whisper into Cocoa’s ear-

“I heard that”.

“. . . Aw man”.

*

-Anyway, we kept following the trail. . . .

The snowflakes started to become more and more shredded, stains of red appearing on them as well…

“Is somebody bleeding?” Cocoa guessed-

“I still can’t see anything but my stomach”.

-He facepalmed.

“We’ll find out. . .”

I trained my eyes straight ahead. . .even though they’re closed.

  
  


The snowflakes petered out.

Sitting in a paper outline of a snow angel, was a tiny child-

“Uh. . .hello….”

She looks up.

Her _face-!_

Bleeding from the eyes and the mouth, crimson tears--

“Don’t let him find me. . .please…”

“What. . .?”

“What do you mean?” Claymore scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

“Your friend told us to find you-”

“Yeah, it was this blonde guy”.

"No-"

Cocoa checked behind him-

“Uh-”

All the lights flickered out-

“Wh-!?”

First one's flames, then the other's glitter, swallowed up-

I couldn’t hear them anymore.

A silhouette came closer.

The young boy-

I felt something harsh yet soft wrap around me-

“What-hey-!!”

I was yanked off my feet-

“Let-me go-!!”

'Tinsel!??'

The environment changed.

It was dark, and it was a forest, outside-

The girl had aged up into a shivering woman in a bluish coat, direly wounded.

The boy had turned into a calmly-smiling guy with a bloody and incriminating knife-

“No-no. . .wait-you. . .you _used_ us!??”

I struggled-

She was _trying_ to struggle away, but she couldn’t make it even an inch without hissing in pain.

“I wouldn’t say _used._ I had no idea the three of you would be there. But you made things even easier-”

“Are you even really friends!??”

“We were-” she coughed, “Until I tried to leave him”.

‘This can’t be. This _can’t be-’_

“But-But what about the _kids-”_

“When do you think I met her?”

His smile was so _empty. . ._

“Forty years flies by”.

“No!!”

He stalked closer to her-

“No-I won’t-let you get away with it-!!”

“Oh. You can go now”.

“Wha-”

-The shadows were creeping in, the tinsel _yanked_ on me-

“OW!!”

I was being lifted from sight-

I craned my neck to tell what was happening.

He was kneeling by her-

He was going to-

‘Come on, come on, hurry-!!’

I fought it-

It tightened until my muscles ached.

‘Nonono-!!’

I couldn’t even see them anymore.

I was-

‘I’m waking up’.

And someone would die in a dream, and no one would ever know why-

“NO-No-”

I started to _shake-_

My fingernails turned into claws.

Spines erupted from my back.

I shredded the tinsel into _nothing-_

  
  


I landed with a thud.

A mix of adrenaline, fear, and anger were mingling in my veins at once, my head was practically floating off of my shoulders through scarlet-tinged vision-

I could see him now. . .

I gripped his wrist.

He saw me too.

I’d never seen ‘fear’ swallow someone’s gaze so fast-

A snap.

Problem **solved.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only four more days until the end of the year!


	13. Mind Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatever happened to Abby's Shadow?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Breakdowns discussed. Fear of the dark/panicking. Lost limbs.

Dec. 14th, 2020, Mon. 

….At least I know where the bloody faces came from, now.

The incident had stuck with me, and she’d  _ clearly  _ recovered fine if she was writing articles about what happened.

Couldn’t say the same for him. . .

-He’d suffered a mental breakdown, and was currently in an institution.

Probably my fault….but I couldn’t really feel bad-

People are capable of acting out-of-character in dreams, it  _ is  _ possible.

But I’m a believer in it just revealing hidden facets of your own personality, even  _ you  _ didn’t know existed.

-Besides, it was do, or she was going to  _ die,  _ so…

Could’ve very easily ended with him fine, and her in the morgue.

And I don’t particularly want to find out if it  _ is  _ usual for death in dreams.

Someone else’s nightmares. . . .

-It was trending for a while, because of it’s bizarreness.

Didn’t help the description of  _ me  _ was pretty accurate:

‘-Tall, dark, and zombie-like with red eyes, sometimes green, long-nailed with a coat parted to the side, and spines erupting from his back-’

No sketch, though.

A good thing, because half the comments were worried sick.

‘There’s no way this is true’.

‘That’s so creepy-’

‘If I were her, I would’ve run from him, too-’

‘You must be hallucinating lady, it was just a dream. The guy suffered a meltdown from something else, these things don’t happen’.

-Safer for them to assume so.

If  _ everything  _ fantastical was proven to be true, sure,  _ some  _ would find it wonderful.

Others would probably panic, and never leave their homes again.

And some would be disappointed the ‘magic’ was gone, as if magic ever could leave-

Maybe I’m just jaded because I see magic everyday.

-In any event, what  _ had _ happened recently, what  _ kept _ on happening kept echoing history. . . .

Is it only recent they finally get what’s coming to them, or does it not occur enough?

‘It doesn’t occur enough, I already know’.

I suppose, in the end, it’s the reason why I can’t stand it...ever since that first moment, every one that goes by finds a way to remind me of how hideous it truly is.

  
  


Aside from that, as long as no one makes any positive ID’s (which they haven’t yet) I don’t foresee any problems.

I check the time:

Almost midnight.

…

‘Alright…’

Time to go out there again.

Only two left.

-Maybe three, but I’ll deal with that possibility later.

. . .

  
  


Even if I’m not supposed to, I have to.

It’s about Mid-Month.

The minutes will fly faster than the wind-

I close my eyes.

*

-And I’m back to hating the dark.

Ugh, this emptiness makes me  _ sick- _

Here’s hoping I’ll get lucky again.

  
  


I’m not. . .

I’m starting to feel faint-

I can’t see  _ anything. _

Darn it, it’s like I fell down that hole all over again-!!

I reach out blindly.

I’m feeling around, blindly-

How does my father do it!??

‘He doesn’t have a healthy fear of the dark like you do, that’s how-’

Thanks, mind, I really needed to know that.

  
  


A little longer, and my breathing shallows.

The bare minimum outline of my hands is blurring in front of my eyes.

I can’t-

I can’t do this-

I try to go back, but, my power’s not working-properly-!!

I can’t even call out because my throat’s frozen up.

-If I lose the connection, will I get lost here forever!?

-I wish I hadn’t thought of that.

  
  


Okay, how long has it been, I can’t tell anymore-

I’m shaking uncontrollably, I can’t-move--

Is something out there!?

Where is it--

I can feel it-

The  _ eyes- _

I can’t take it-

My vision fades.

*

‘. . .?’

I wake up on hard ground…

Where the heck am I?

‘-It’s not dark, that’s an immediate plus-’

My  _ teeth  _ hurt, though. . . .what, did I land on my mouth?

Massaging my jaw, I stand-

A black-metal building rises in front of me.

-It could be a random business, for all the clues I have……

For a moment, my mind flicks to the painful blackness.

I shiver-

That was  _ awful. _

‘I don’t want to...go back there.  _ Ever’. _

-But I had to.

But. . .

Maybe I could focus on my memories of them next time?

. . . . .The darkness would still be there…

I gulp.

‘There has  _ got  _ to be a better way to do it’.

Fortunately, (or rather,  _ unfortunately),  _ I knew who to go to.

-I’d have to find a creative way to get there  _ without  _ causing a panic, however. . . .

‘Why don’t you just ask?’ my mind said, ‘It’s not like they haven’t been there before, either…’

-And I forgot to call upon Cocoa and Claymore to come with me this trip, too…..

I swear I’d forget my  _ head  _ if it wasn’t on my shoulders.

. . . . .Is it?

Still on my shoulders?

Don’t laugh.

You’d check too, if you were as paranoid as me.

  
  


I wade through the tree-like bushes.

The Main Doors are at the other end of a pleasant, facade-type thing-

The silence is almost unreal.

All the snow has melted by now. . .

The temperature’s increased.

A slight relief-

‘Sky’s getting gray, though…’

I don’t believe it will last for long.

I test the handles.

They rattle-

I peer through the glass.

Darkened interior-

Of course.

I step back.

I don’t have any intention of vandalizing, but-

_ Somebody’s in there _

My nerves prickle-

It’s a silhouette.

Those are never good.

The last one played us-

In fact, my memories are trying to remind me of something right now. . .

‘Is that. . .really-?’

Someone...in a….smock….

‘. . .’

-My heart rate just went _r_ _ ocketing  _ back up to 1000-

‘Wha. . . .what kind of odds-’

I hesitantly. . .grip the handles. . .again. . .

They’re...not...moving-

I swallow-

‘Okay. . .’

I  _ should  _ be leaving, why would I desire to go  _ near  _ the creepy shadow-

But if it’s who I think it is-

‘I might want to know what they’ve been up to’.

***

I circle around to the back.

I pick the lock with a vine-

It is  _ just  _ as quiet on the inside, minus a low hum.

The heaters?

‘I mean, what else could it be?’

I walk through the hallways, thankful for the glass windows, otherwise it would be like a tomb in here.

…

I would say ‘why can’t I keep my own mouth shut’, but I didn’t speak that one out loud. . .

-The sound of dripping-

I already have a bad feeling.

  
  


The humming’s getting louder.

The closer I become-

Strangely, it doesn’t seem like...humming, anymore.

It sounds like...rushing water?

I pass by a series of clear panels.

It’s a pool.

‘That’s cool….’

I peek through.

Ripples from the jets make it look more chaotic than it really is.

The deep-blue color is interesting. . . .

I think I see something...in it-

Floating. . .facedown. . .

Chills creep over my spine.

That- can’t be right…

I gingerly push open the door-

-The rushing noise smacks into my ears, a  _ lot  _ louder.

I have to pause to cover them-

. . .

It drains.

-Everything in me,  _ immediately  _ warns to run.

But I don’t….

-Not yet.

-It’s high-up on my plans, however, don’t worry.

(Wait, who would be worrying?)

…

I kneel at the water’s edge.

Trying to get a better look-

What if someone needs help?

. . . . . .I can’t see anything now……………

‘Strange. . . .’

Did that shadow move on, or is the stress getting to me?

I stand up.

‘They probably moved on. . . . .’

-I have the eerie sensation someone’s behind me.

“-!?”

I whirl around-

No one.

‘-It might be the stress-’

And every wrong decision I keep making.

I rub a hand over my eyes, heading for the door.

I spy the top of a head.

In the glassy reflection.

Just. . .lurking, there.

In the water.

Reddish eyes glaring-

‘. . .H...huh-’

I peer over my shoulder. . . . . . .

Nothing….

. . . . . . . . .

Again……..

‘I’m seeing things. Great……’

I walk out into the hallway.

*

I don’t understand what’s going on. . .

I haven’t met many ghosts, but I’m not a fan of the sensation of losing my mind.

I pass several rooms.

All shut.

I barely even notice any sounds.

It’s like they decided to stop at once the minute I left the pool-

What the. . .

Drips.

On the walls.

Water stains shimmer, and slide noiselessly to the floor. . . . .

-It sort-of explains what I first heard upon entering this place.

Sort-of.

On the ground, the light shimmers.

I’m briefly reminded of the bottom of an ocean.

Unsettling…..

-And then I’m looking out upon the front facade.

Peaceful.

‘. . .’

. . . . . . .

It’s too quiet.

  
  


‘I wonder if there’s an upstairs’.

I turn-

A pair of red eyes.

-I barely have a few seconds to register that ‘oh, you’re 7 ft. 5 too-’

They wrap their wet arms around me.

“H-Hey-!!”

I push them-

They are  _ strong. _

I am not even kidding.

It would take a  _ crane  _ to shove them into the lockers-

“Let-go-!!”

I hate to do it, but I bring up vines-

The tiles pop, and warp.

They loop around the limbs of the, uh,  _ grabber  _ here, and pull-

Their hug just gets  _ worse- _

I shove at them, with as much space as I can steal back-

My  _ ribs  _ are starting to complain-

I can smell chlorine, I’m  _ not  _ crazy-

Their teeth gnash at me.

I tighten the grip of my vines-

Cracking echoes throughout the hallway.

If this continues-

I elbow them in the throat.

They gag, and their  _ breath  _ smells like eucalyptus, weirdly enough-

I can’t help the odd yank on me. . .

An inexorable drawing-in-

Fog...in my head. . . .

I blink rapidly.

‘Stay. . .awake-!’

-A vine rips off the shadow’s left arm.

It slaps onto the hallway floor, and lies there, twitching.

I’m growled at.

A little room makes a  _ lot  _ of difference-

I shove myself from the choking grip.

-I smack into a window, and it fractures slightly…

I  _ cough,  _ finally allowed to breathe-

I hack up a pound of water.

‘. . . ?’

What-

I look down to see that my hands are bloated, and damp.

*

The yellow, flickering starburst on the wall is one I’ve grown tired of staring at.

It’s the sign a shadow’s taken over reality for their own-

They wear down their targets mentally until. . .

They eat them.

Doesn’t help that I did half the work all by myself……

‘How do I even know this’.

I guess it’s a belated perk of being trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you want to go swimming?


	14. Aiden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things don't go smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Guilt, implied suicidal thoughts/actions, triggers, and liquids/drinking. Mention fate worse than death.

Dec. 15th, 2020, Tues. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . I don’t have time to waste like this…

I’m exhausted, and I think it partially has something to do with the water bubble surrounding me.

I’d stab my finger through the flimsy cage, and pop it already if I weren’t bound up in black hair.

No, it’s not mine.

It’s not even the shadow’s.

-I actually don’t know whose it is, only that it’s shiny, and it’s like  _ razor- _ wire.

It doesn’t cut, it just makes me numb.

Which is dangerous, because I don’t want to find out what happens if I fall unconscious-

Simply put, anyone who dives this deep into the pool is going to get quite the surprise sight.

. . .Though I don’t think they  _ will  _ see me…….

I might be hidden thanks to shadow physics or something.

I try to summon up vines, but I’m getting  _ nothing. _

Either there’s no soil under where I am, or I’m. . .too weak-

I feel a wave of fear-

‘How in the heck is anyone going to find me now…’

If I close my eyes, I’m afraid I’ll drift away.

  
  


. . .

The water is disturbed.

What?

‘What. . .could that be-’

It’s been awhile……

I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.

My lids have dropped almost too low.

‘Someone. . . is...someone here-’

I try to call for them, but I choke on bubbles.

‘Help. . . .!’

I don’t know if it’s anyone…..

If it’s another hallucination. . . . .

Another trick-!

Pulling.

‘Focus-’

The hair-loosens-

The currents pick up.

My body is a dead weight-

A yellowish blur flies at a target I can’t-make out-

  
  
  
  


Hands press into my chest.

I cough-

A few more compression, and  _ ouch, that hurts-!! _

I fling an arm out-

I accidentally whack someone in the head.

“Ow-”

“. . .S-.......Sorry-.........”

I grasp until I close over a shoulder.

“Who...what. . .”

I spit water.

I gasp-

“What-happened--”

It’s Aiden-

“----H-Huh-Y-You-!??”

“What".

Flint-blue eyes bore into mine-

“Is that witch supposed to be Abby’s problem?”

She holds up something:

The cut of the pink thorns I’d made days earlier-

“She went ballistic when I pulled this out of your coat”.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A flush creeps onto my face.

‘All of a sudden...everything makes sense-’

I slowly swallow. . .

I prop myself up onto an elbow.

“. . .Th-Thank you….”

“Don’t thank me. I thought it was my friend she’d put down there”.

‘-Ow-’

“.....How-”

“Because she was late today, and then I see all that  _ hair  _ in the pool-”

“. . .Why did you save me, then?”

“I take it you didn’t glimpse that thing’s teeth”.

-Had I?

I do a quick run through my memory-

“That still doesn’t explain-”

“Because I’m not a creep!”

She stands up in a hurry.

“What the heck are you doing here? Did you bring that  _ woman  _ with you?”

“No-”

I glance toward the pool.

On its surface float blue spores. . . .

‘It  _ was  _ one of them……’

“Where-where is the ‘witch’ now?”

“Sleeping”.

The flat tone brokers no room for argument.

“. . .How do you know-”

“I’ve seen it happen”.

-Although she’s not forthcoming on what exactly occurred to give her that certainty, it probably wasn’t pleasant.

_ I  _ know it wasn’t, from how it affected the Dream World…

But I don’t want to push it.

-I’m a little scared she might push me back into the _water_ if I say something wrong…..

“Oh”.

I gulp.

“Um…”

“What?”

“.....It’s just...your spores. . . .might get amplified at Christmas Time?”

She huffs.

“Great. . . .”

***

Shadows tend to hang on to anything familiar.

Abby and Aiden were friends.

So they tracked her down.

-It didn’t help that I had a piece of Abby’s magic on me. . . . . . .

That’s probably why I crash-landed where I did.

Why I was bound up-

I sigh….

I’m cold-

And wet-

And I’m hiding in the Locker Room because  _ my  _ magic won’t work-

The only thing worse, would be if the lights went out.

. . .

I sit there, in the dark.

I hate myself.

Some days.

…

At least there’s a sliver of brightness through the mostly-closed door.

I’m terrified they’ll wake up, and come after me.

I don’t want to be trapped again-

I wrap both arms around myself, squeezing until I think my bones will crack.

Ever since I fell down that hole-

It’s like a _curse._

*

Eventually, I become aware of a presence.

. . . .Hi, father.

(Oh dear....)

***

To be honest, I feel like I failed.

I don’t know if Aiden is doing okay with what she’s got, or not.

She  _ sounds  _ like she is. . . .but.....

I grimace.

I can’t risk going back to her, can I?

. . .

Well, that just leaves  _ one- _

I _could_ push a little harder, but I’m afraid I’ve already pushed too hard.

I keep causing them worry...I wish I could stop.

Claymore and Cocoa don’t say it, but I know they’re wondering what happened to us deciding to go together. . . . . 

My mom panicked again when she saw the state I was in.

Only a week until Christmas.

If the powers keep escalating, someone might end up dead.

I can’t afford to  _ not  _ find the last-

But I  _ can’t  _ make them suffer anymore.

I can’t do that to them….

The more I think about it, the more I should have just shook them awake-

That would have had the same effect, right?

Or would the perfume haze that captured them to begin with have been too strong?

-It’s too late to know…….

It’s too late to regret it.

Their new abilities will better protect them, anyway. . .

I can only hope.

I sigh, heavily.

I set down the watering can.

I finally found a moment to repair it…

If only...there was someone else I could send to check on them-

I highly doubt my own family would be too keen on leaving me alone for a while.

_ Especially  _ with the looming Holidays about to hit the Dream World-

-An empty pot skitters to the side, having been kicked.

My senses flash to high-alert-!?

I stand and spin.

-Alice jumps.

“-Hey! It’s you…”

She shuffles a little.

“Hello”.

“How did they take it? Are you alright-”

“. . . .”

She brushes some hair from her eyes.

“-Pretty good, actually”.

She breathes.

“I was really surprised. . . .but I think they’re all just hanging on to the possibility that I might come back someday”.

“....Will you?”

“No….”

She shakes her head slightly.

“I don’t want to risk...backsliding. . . . “

She half-smiles.

“I feel good, but  _ so bad. _

Like...that place was their everything, but…….I’m so relieved-”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. . . . .”

She doesn’t seem so. . .careful, as she was when I first saw her…..

“Yeah...um, thanks. . . . . .if it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve tried to hang in there for longer-”

I hold back shuddering at the thought.

“It’s no problem….in the end, it was all you”.

A smile for real.

‘-? It happened again-’

“I wanted to come thank you earlier, but. . .”

She winces.

“Apparently, I can only get here if I jump now-”

“-No, please don’t do that-”

I nearly choked when she said it.

“How is the...you know. . . .?”

“It won’t come back...unless I run into somebody or something acting like...the way they did….which won’t be at all if I stay at home”.

She grins.

“I stole a lot of my hope back……”

I’m the one who’s relieved now...if a bit nervous.

“Good to hear”.

And then, because I  _ have  _ to know-

“What made you trust me? You’ve only met me recently-”

“Um…….”

I wait, unsure of what she’ll tell me…

“I don’t know. You just...have I answered this before?”

“Uh…….”

I try to remember-

“I don’t know-”

“Oh”.

I’m blushing.

How do I always cause the awkwardness to return-

“Um….you’re. . . .pretty cool-looking. I guess…...I think...if I tried to meet you where I come from, I’d be too shy to talk to you-”

“Cool?”

Me?

“You think I’m cool?”

“You’re...pretty, and tall, and nice…”

“Really?”

Come to think of it….

She’s never been afraid of me once, has she?

Not ever….

‘But she doesn’t know about... _ that  _ form-’

The real me.

What would she say?

“Yeah. . . . .and you didn’t try to get close to me right away, like some people do….my life story is unremarkable anyhow, thankfully-”

“I wouldn’t call it unremarkable”.

I vividly recall the blue, flaming hands.

“You can control fire?”

“-Apparently?”

She shrugs.

“Nobody else in my family can do it in reality, though…..I haven’t told them-”

“Are you going to?”

“I’m not sure...I don’t think they’ll freak out-”

She shrugs.

“You also made it here, somehow-”

“Yeah. . .”

She shuffles in place a little.

“I like it, though”.

“....Thanks. My father will be pleased to hear that”.

“Huh?”

“He made it. The Dream World”.

“Eh-”

“He’s a Chrono-Elf...the only one of his kind, as far as we know-”

“We...right, you said one other human had come-”

“Yes...she was my mother”.

“Whoah-”

“Yeah...and then it’s me, and I have a couple brothers, I don’t know where they are, we all came to visit, and  _ then  _ things kinda went to heck-”

‘Because of  _ you’,  _ my mind tells me.

‘Hush-’

“Aside from them, we’ve been mostly alone in this dimension of reality”.

“Wow. . .there’s no other worlds?”

“There are. . ."

I wonder what I’m doing, letting such sensitive information slip-

“It's just. . .hard to get to them".

“....Why’s that?”

“I don’t know”.

It’s my turn to shrug.

“My father has sort-of an idea...he’s probably one of the oldest beings in the universe-doesn’t look it, however”.

“Well yeah, or….”

She gestures in the air for a second-

“Your mom and him...wouldn’t have...gotten together-right?”

“Right”.

For some reason, her stuttering over that is cute.

“It’s because of him that age won’t run off with mom too quick-or so we’re crossing our fingers for, at any rate….”

I pray that I’m not oversharing.

“Uh, we have no idea what will happen to the three of us….considering we’re not fully human, but…”

“Sounds stressful”.

“It is. . .and it isn’t”, I admit.

“It’s easy to forget”.

  
  


This visit, I actually can brew the tea.

“Any drink you like?”

“-Water or orange juice”.

-Er, let me take that back-

“Orange juice?”

I pick up a literal orange.

“Yup-?”

I poke a paper straw in it.

“......”

She chuckles and accepts.

  
  


While she sips, I marvel at how much I’ve just revealed.

It’s not everything, not by a long shot.

It’s more than I’ve told anyone I  _ didn’t  _ know.

Ever.

Is this how she felt when she was speaking of being imprisoned with. . .the woman and her friends-

‘I just wanted her to have an idea of where she was…..’

It’s her third trip to our house, after all.

  
  


I feel slightly uncanny just sitting there-

I rarely have any visitors anyway.

“-I’ve never had orange juice like this”.

“...I don’t mind it, myself-”

I tap my fingers on the table.

‘What do I say-’

I accidentally look her way, and she smiles back.

-Then I have to look away quick, or I will turn into a green tomato……..

What I’ve done, is at the tip of my tongue-

But I don’t want to burden her with my big mistake.

-But time’s growing short….

But I can’t just  _ drop that on someone  _ out of the blue--

Especially someone who’s  _ already _ been through it.

……..And now she’s looking at me.

“......? Something...on your mind?”

“...Me-?”

“Uh-huh”.

I shouldn’t do it.

It’s a bad idea.

Haven’t I had enough of those?

“You wouldn’t...have happened to see a certain article about a woman being saved in her dreams?”

“No”.

. . . You-why- 

“Is it truthful?”

“. . .”

Why did you pick  _ that  _ to-

“. . . .Well…….”

I could  _ kick  _ myself.

“K-Kind-of”.

“Wow, that’s so cool-”

‘Don’t figure out it’s me. Please…’

“U-Um………”

How fast can I backpedal-

“I just-thought it was interesting-”

“I’ll have to look it up later”.

‘Noooo-’

How do you do this to yourself!?

‘Stop being a green tomato-’

“Um…..w-what would you do if you……”

_ Now  _ what are you doing!??

“G-Gave someone powers…..”

“Huh-”

Stop talking----

“N-nothing”.

“. . . . . . . . . .”

This is why I don’t talk.

  
  


I play with my gloves-

This is so, so awkward-

“I’m just scared I-gave them something really dangerous. . . . “

…………

‘Me, why-’

“What happened?”

“............................”

I hesitantly meet her eyes-

“. . . .Uh. Long….story. . . . .”

I brush some hair away from my nose-

-I almost flashed my other eye-

Could I handle the view?

P-People are too scary to look at head-on. . . . . 

But………

“I have time…..”

“-W-Wait, you do?”

“Yeah”.

Her head swivels as she searches for a place to sit-

I pull up a bucket chair. . . .

I need to invest in actual chairs-

She sits down.

I don’t know what to do-

A person is close-

-Well not that close, but it’s the principle of the thing.

I clear my throat-

“S. . .so…..”

I tell it.

I feel  _ guilty- _

Like I shouldn’t be unloading any of it on her at all.

But it’s too late now…

When it’s over (I mean, up to where you are now, reader), I bite my lip-

“That’s how it is...yeah…..”

“I’m sure she’ll be okay-she seems like a strong child!”

“Yeah”.

I smile, despite myself.

“. . . . .What did you do to the lady, by the way?”

I feel my heart plummet.

‘She’s not going to like it-’

“I-”

I fidget-

“I buried her under the floor”.

A beat.

“You WHAT!?”

“I...I….”

I gulp-

“I didn’t want her to rally and go after them…it...it...seemed like a logical thing to do at the time”.

It sounds like _madness. . . . ._

It’d probably sound like madness, if I wasn’t so  _ sure- _

“Is she still under there?”

“I don’t know. . . .I can’t very well check……”

“Hmm…..”

“-Are you upset?”

“No...I’m kinda done with those people? …….I shouldn’t say that, but-”

“What would happen if you did?”

“-I think a lot of people would be shocked at me”.

. . .

“I wouldn’t be shocked”.

“....I know. . . .maybe that’s why I told you everything”.

*

Still need to find a better method of meeting…

But she had to leave then.

Maybe next visit…

I put the straw in compost.

I’m worried as heck for the future, but even so….

Why am I smiling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is plenty more to be said and things, but this is my first one outside of properly anywhere. : )  
> Hope you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> I worked hard, and now it's out. Have fun, there's a lot more to this.


End file.
